Love is Wierd, But It Makes You Feel All Tingly!
by AClassyLady
Summary: Shounen ai- Zim/Dib. Set in the boys' senior year, Dib is attacked in an alley and saved by a certain somebody, who then collapses and Dib has to take them home... *COMPLETE*
1. Rain Makes the Most -In-tersting Things ...

Love is Weird But It Makes You Feel All Warm and Tingly Inside!  
  
By: Kichara  
  
Chapter 1- Rain Makes the Most –In-teresting Things Take Place  
  
It Has Begun. *plays Mortal Kombat music* Helllllloooooo, peoples! This is Kichara, and I'll be writing this fanfic for you today, so just sit back and relax…Uh, okay, that was stupid, how about… FEAR ME! For I am Kichara, and I have …SPORKS!!! DON'T MAKE ME UUUUUUSE THEM!!!!!!!!!! Yeah, well whatever. I'm hyper. This here's my first IZ ficcy, so please read and review so that I may know what is going on in your demented heads as you read my even more demented work of art. It makes me feel joyous inside, like the white stuff in those yummy caramel candies that I do not know the name of. May da force be wit' you. ^^  
  
Last period. Dib's eyes strayed to the clock again, silently cursing it. Why did the last period always seem to drag on forever? He was anxious to get home before it started raining, as the black clouds outside predicted.  
  
*BOOM*  
  
Dib jumped in his seat as a loud rumble of thunder, followed by a high crack, shook the room. //Damn.// The bell rang a few minutes after that and the eighteen year old slowly picked up his books, setting them into his back pack and slinging it over his shoulder with a gusty sigh as he looked outside at the torrential downpour there. He was not looking forward to walking home.  
  
The high school senior ambled listlessly through the hallway full of high school students, talking, laughing, playfully shoving one another as plans were discussed for the weekend. //It was the weekend already?// He glanced down at his watch, and sure enough, it was Friday. //Strange how life passes you by when you don't have one.// He thought tiredly as he noticed, without even thinking about it, that no one was calling out to him. Finally reaching the front doors and stepping outside, he hurried down the steps through the rain, almost instantly getting soaked and cursing himself for not bringing an umbrella as he struggled to see through the rain that was clinging to his glasses.  
  
The streets were nearly empty, with few cars and no pedestrians, and it only added to Dib's dreary mood, which the rain, of course, wasn't helping. As he reached Devi Street, he was grateful, in a tired way, that he was only about a block and a half from his place. "Hey, loser. What're you doing?"  
  
//Oh shit.// Dib turned slightly to see four big guys standing in the alley next to him, arms crossed and looking quite happy to see him. //Too bad the feeling isn't mutual.// Trying not to let his voice shake, he simply answered, "Walking."  
  
"Well, you don't look too happy to be walking. Why's that?" He grabbed the smaller boy and pulled him into the alley, which Dib quickly discovered was a dead end. Shit shit shit. In an attempt to keep calm and to hopefully get them distracted so that he could make it out of there in one piece, he replied, "Because it's raining."  
  
"Well, that's too bad, but you've got bigger things to worry about than some water." The thug said, leering at him. Dib shrunk against the wall. "Have any money?"  
  
His voice was low, scared. "No."  
  
"Ah well, that's too bad. Guess we'll just have to beat you up then, huh?" He bared his yellowish teeth in a grin, laughing with the others mimicking him loudly.  
  
//How degrading. Not only was he going to get beaten to a bloody pulp, but it was going to be by the three stooges rejects. Life's a bitch.//  
  
One of the brutes stepped forward, grabbing a hold of his blue shirt, turned an almost black color by the rain, and picked him up with one fist, a feral grin on his face, as the others laughed and jeered. //Oh, shit. Shit Shit Shit.// As he waited for the inevitable blow, a sudden movement caught his brown eyes and the next thing he knew, the guy had dropped him and was hurtling backwards into the opposite alley wall. Dib dropped to the concrete floor painfully, but was in too much of shock to really notice as he looked up at the person standing in front of him. Tall, lean, and dressed all in black that matched his raven colored hair and looked good on his slick green skin. Zim.  
  
The teenage alien scowled at the other three left standing, and they snarled at him, jumping at the boy almost as one being. Zim ducked, one gloved hand gripping the concrete floor and swung out his leg, hitting the one that'd first talked to Dib in the stomach with a combat boot in one clean motion, sending him to join his fallen companion on the floor. The remaining two seemed a little more than nervous now, backing up for a minute as he stood up and glared at them, unblinkingly. Then one decided to make a quick move, probably hoping to surprise the agile alien by bending over and charging like…livestock, Dib noticed in an offhand and slightly amused way. Zim was swift to jump up, easily avoiding the incoming foe and sending him to crash into the brick wall and knock himself out.  
  
//One more to go.// Dib looked at the 'one' in question and noticed, as Zim neatly landed, that there was a long, silvery object clutched in his meaty fist. "Zim, look out!" Dib yelled from his place on the ground, terrified. Too late to avoid damage, but he was able to lean back and duck from the intended spot in his stomach. However, the blade still made contact, slashing across Zim's chest, ripping the shirt and causing thick blood to seep through. With a fierce snarl, he punched the thug across the jaw, breaking it on impact, and then quickly hit him in the back of the neck with a flat hand. The larger male fell to the ground, not moving.  
  
Several seconds passed in complete silence, except for the rain, still pouring down, and then Zim turned to Dib, blue eyes boring into the other intently, who was still on the cold ground. "Are you in good health, human?"  
  
Dib managed to push himself up and leaning against the wall, stand up. "Zim, I you…Thanks." A faint blush crept on his cheeks, feeling embarrassed at both his lack of words and the other's sharp stare. As the other stared, Dib faintly remembered a few years back, when Zim had created a sort of water repellent, happy to mock Dib at his accomplishment over the weakness. A little smirk tweaked his rival's mouth as he brushed back soaking bangs from his blue eyes.  
  
"Huh. You humans are too weak to be any real challenge." He snorted, shrugging.  
  
For a second, Dib thought the smirk transformed into a real smile, but then he blinked and it was the same. He shrugged his pack on his shoulders, sifting around the weight. "Uh, yeah, whatever. Um, are you alright? Your cut…"  
  
Zim looked down at the gash, which was still bleeding. "It's nothing." He started to walk out of the alley, carefully avoiding one of the comatose bodies, and Dib was quick to follow, calling out for the alien to wait. He didn't, but he didn't go any faster, so it was easy to catch up with him, although Dib still had no idea what to say. Zim looked up at the dark sky for a moment as the other young man came up beside him, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his black jeans. He'd started dressing all in black about two and a half years ago, and Dib had to admit it looked good on him. Really good. Really, really good. //Christ, I should quit while I'm ahead.// Yeah, like it was anything new. He'd realized he definitely had a 'thing' for his nemesis about a year ago. And it sucked.  
  
The green-skinned boy blinked, shaking his head as if to clear it. "Zim, are you sure you're okay?" Dib asked again, feeling a bit odd for asking, but was truly concerned, if not only for the other's health but for his odd mannerisms as well. For a second, it looked as if Zim were about to retort, to insult Dib like he always would (which probably would have put Dib at more ease anyway), but then he grimaced as if in pain, pulling his hands out of his pockets, one reaching up to rub irritably between his eyes. He swayed, then shook his head again. Then he collapsed. This was turning out to be a very weird day.  
  
"Zim!!" Dib cried out in surprise as the other tumbled unceremoniously to the concrete, and he quickly knelt down by the other boy. "What's wrong, damnitt?!" No response, which was understandable, as he had passed out. Biting his lip, Dib gently lifted the alien, one arm hooked under his, and hefted him up, leaning the body weight of the other against him. //At least Zim wasn't too heavy,// Dib thought gratefully, even more thankful now that they were so close to his home. Trying to get a better hold on the boy, Dib wrapped one arm around his trim waist, the other around his shoulders, and began to walk.  
  
'Home' was Dib's small apartment, which he'd moved into only about two months ago. He planned on continuing to live there through college. Not the greatest place in the world, but it fit his needs and the rent wasn't too high. Not to mention it was away from his family. Zim's head lolled around and Dib bit his lip, anxious, and looked up through the water covering his glass lenses to see the little brown apartment complex that he lived in. Five more minutes and he was there, shoving open the glass doors with his hip, and half stumbling into the empty lodge with it's multi- colored carpet. His apartment was on the first floor, thankfully, so he didn't have to bother with the elevator. He fumbled in his pocket, pulling out a couple of soggy keys on a ring, and flipped through them to find the right one, using it to turn the knob as he unlocked it.  
  
The door let out a loud creak as he kicked it open, then again as he kicked it shut. Toeing off his sopping wet sneakers, which made squishing noises as they left his equally soaked socks, and carefully slipping one arm after the other out of his shoulder straps, he dumped his heavy bag next to them. Without the burden, he was able to get a better grip on his immobile companion, sliding him into his arms and carrying him through the small living room, up the stairs, and into the tiny bedroom. Dib carefully laid his rival down on the bed, then shook out his aching arms, which were sore from carrying the limp alien all the way from the street, and took off his glasses, wiping them with a T-shirt that was on the floor. He quickly pulled off his wet shirt, tossing it in the direction of the bathroom, then threw his pants and socks with it. He shivered, goose bumps rising on his bare skin but he ignored them for the moment, going to sit on the edge of his bed.  
  
"Zim?" He asked, tentatively reaching out to wipe the soggy bangs from his forehead, and gasped at the feeling off the boy's burning forehead. "Christ, no wonder you passed out!" The skin was burning, almost unbearable to touch and Dib painfully bit his lip until it turned white, trying to figure out what to do. "All right. You're not going anywhere until you can do so, so you'd better get comfortable," he commanded, although it was more of him talking to himself, trying to figure out what to do, than to Zim. "Being all wet certainly isn't going to help." Blushing deeply, he grabbed at the bottom of the alien's tight black shirt, careful to avoid hitting the large gash on his chest as he pulled the material up. He undid the ties on the combat boots, and then, blush burning even more, he unbuttoned the tight jeans, praying silently that Zim was wearing underwear. He was, thank God, a pair of black boxers, which almost made Dib laugh at the thoroughness of Zim's outfit.  
  
Grabbing the damp clothes, he went to the bathroom, where he hung them up, along with his own, and grabbed a couple of towels, hurrying back to the bed. Taking a second the swipe off the main water that was still on him, Dib then carefully wiped off the water that clung to the alien's smooth skin, noticing absentmindedly the toned muscles underneath. This done, he pulled the damp covers out from under Zim, tossing them in a corner and getting a spare comforter to cover him with. A spasmatic cough suddenly shook Zim's body and his eyes closed tightly, but he remained asleep.  
  
//He's gotta be sick.// Dib realized as reached behind the alien's head to undo the elastic band that was securing his long, thin ponytail. He squeezed out the water in the hair, remembering with a faint smile when the other had taken Dib's challenge to have permanent hair.  
  
"Bet you're afraid to do it!"  
  
"Ha! I fear nothing, stupid humaaan! I'll show you!"  
  
And then, sure enough, a couple of days later Dib had looked up from staring at his desk to see a smug Zim standing beside him, arms crossed with a smirk on his face. "I did it! So theeere!! I told you I wasn't afraid!!" he'd exclaimed, yanking on his now-permanent hair and blowing a raspberry at Dib, who'd found himself smiling slightly in amusement.  
  
Dib smiled to himself, a laugh forming in his mind as he recalled the scene. He toweled off the thin strip of hair, then carefully did the same to the rest of Zim's spiky mess, where his two antennae, usually held back from view and buried in his hair, were sticking out. As he finished, his hand brushed against the other's burning forehead again. //I wonder if Earth medicine will have any effect on him?//  
  
He went to go dampen two washcloths with cold water, and grabbing a small first aid kit from under the sink, he came back, gently laying one of the cloths on the other's fiery forehead. A sharp intake of breath startled Dib, and he looked down at Zim, whose deep blue eyes opened, looking straight at him, then blinked and sleepily slid halfway shut. "Dib?" He asked quietly, watching the other.  
  
"Zim, what the hell happened? Are you okay?"  
  
"I should not have been in the rain for so long. It certainly didn't help the fact that I was not already in good health." He blinked again, eyes sliding further shut when they opened. "Where am I?"  
  
"In my apartment. You collapsed in the street, so I brought you here." Dib took the other wet washcloth and scrubbed softly around the deep gash on Zim's smooth chest, cleaning away the dried purple blood.  
  
"Huh. I would have thought that you would have left me there." He sounded extremely tired, and there was no malice behind his words, as he watched Dib clean the wound. If anything, Dib thought he heard…a longing? //Yeah right! Wishful thinking!// He silently berated himself. //I'm trying too hard to find something that isn't there.//  
  
"I couldn't have done that!" Dib protested, indignant. "That's awful! Especially after you beat up those guys before they turned me into meatloaf! Not to mention you got hurt because of it." He said, indicating the wound, which he had finished cleaning and was now rummaging through the first aid kit, pulling out some gauze. "C'mon, sit up."  
  
The alien did so, wincing slightly, and Dib quickly wrapped the bandage around the laceration, going all the way around his back. "And am I not awful? Evil? Aren't we supposed to be mortal enemies?" There was a definite wistfullness in Zim's tone now, and Dib narrowed his eyes slightly at the other, beginning to wonder if Zim was delirious. He finished up with the gauze, holding the bandage closed with some medical tape. The young alien noticed he was finished and laid back down, careful not to move around the gauze. He looked down at the white material, seeming mesmerized by the almost blinding white fabric against his green skin.  
  
"It…It all sort of seems pointless now." Dib realized aloud, discerning that it had been quite a while since Zim had done anything to offend Dib. They'd been pretty distant, as of late, actually.  
  
"Then what would you say we are?" The words almost sounded like a command as Zim's eyes traveled upwards, focused on the ceiling, where he chose to end his line of vision, shutting his lids.  
  
Dib was unsure of how to answer, until he uneasily answered, "Friends?" Nervous and not waiting for Zim to answer, he quickly added in almost one breath, "Um, Zim, can you take Earth medicine? You look pretty crappy. And I thought you had a water repellent; but you said that you shouldn't have been in the rain for so long. Did it stop working?"  
  
Zim was quiet for a long moment, although his lips moved as they formed a silent word to himself, as Dib tilted his head to the side slightly, a little curious. Then he said aloud, "Yes, my body is able to take and process your Earth medicines, odd as they may sound. And I do have a water repellent, it's just unable to function for too long of a time under the steadiness of constant water. It replenishes itself easily, being something I've applied to my skin, it uses my body heat to do so. It's just unable to take too much water at once." His eyes opened once again and he tipped his head to look at Dib.  
  
"Does that mean I should take this off?" Dib questioned, hand reaching out to touch the damp washcloth.  
  
"No, it's only a little bit of water. It actually is comforting." He said nothing else, and neither did Dib, and Zim's eyes shut again. After a few minutes, his breathing slowed and became rhythmic, although raspy, and Dib left out a long breath. Acting as though he were a zombie, he took off the now-warm cloth from Zim's head, going to the bathroom to rinse it out, wring out the water and bring it back to lay on his 'friend's' brow.  
  
He left the room then, leaving the door open, to go down into the small kitchen, where he grabbed a large bowl, a pitcher and some food. These in his arms, he went back up the stairs to lay them down on the nightstand, taking off the Anne Rice book he was reading and setting it down on the floor. He went to the bathroom and shuffled through the cabinet to find something for Zim, finally settling on some flu medicine. He set this down on the table as well and stood up straight, trying to figure out what to do now. The rain outside still poured down, banging noisily against the window, and reminding Dib suddenly that he was still cold.  
  
//A warm shower sounds good.. I don't want to catch cold either.// With this thought, he headed into the bathroom, looking forward to the warm shower that would not only warm him, but help to clear his thoughts as well.  
  
~*~*~*  
  
Whew, well, how's that? I'm trying to keep them in character, please keep in mind that Zim IS sick, and therefore more likely to not bite off everything he's going to say. Hee hee. *evil grin* Which makes it all the more fun. I really fell in love with the idea of a Zim/Dib story and I have to give all the credit to my friend, advisor and she whom I worship, Raihne, for introducing me to it. Hopefully this story will inspire her to start on her own stories again. Anywayz, please tell me what you think. I love this story already, and I want to know what everyone else thinks of it! Peace out, organisms. Be warned of the sporks. 


	2. Obsessions and Other Such Sweet Things

Love is Weird But It Makes You Feel All Warm and Tingly Inside!  
  
1 Chapter 2- Obsessions and Other Such Sweet Things  
  
Well, here I am again! It's 1 in the morning, and I am staying awake by sucking on a Tootsie pop. Mmm, orange… The un-nutritional sweetness is good for my alerti-ness. Anyhoo, I'm just gonna start writing, and hope that I don't sound tooo incoherent, because it'll be a pain to fix when I go back and read, re-read and edit the hell out of it. I do that to all of my stuff; an eternal perfectionist am I. Oh, and I hope my little explanations as to how things are (like Zim's water repellent and his choice/ taking up of Dib's challenge to have permanent hair) aren't TOO confusing and crappy. That's just the way I wanted things to be, so *raspberry* I spit upon you if you have a problem with my creative skills!!! So there!!! Mmmm, orangangey…  
  
  
  
Dib stepped out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist, to find Zim still asleep and hadn't moved from the position he'd left him in. He went to his dresser and sifted through the meager amount of garments to pull out a pair of sweatpants, some blue boxers, and a black long-sleeved shirt, as it was chilly in the apartment. He undid the towel and tugged on the clothes, then tossed the towel in the dirty clothes corner.  
  
He then pulled up the chair from the room's desk and sliding it across the scratchy earth tone carpet, set it down by the occupied bed and settled into the chair, silently studying the bed's tenant. Zim looked gorgeous, even if his skin was a bit pale; with his damp hair rising wildly back and his eyes closed, he looked so damned innocent. Almost fragile. Dib blinked, shaking his head, and went to go fill up the bowl he'd grabbed from the kitchen with cold water from the bathroom, coming back to set it back down on the night stand. He took off the washcloth and dipped it into the water, wringing it out and carefully placing it back on Zim's head. Zim exhaled softly, tilting his head ever so slightly towards Dib, and the other felt his heart skip a beat. Then he shook his head as if to scold himself, sitting back to study the person that was his obsession.  
  
Weird as it sounded, Zim WAS his first obsession over something that was actually real, and it had been about a year or so ago when the ruling passion had transformed into another kind of obsession entirely. Something that definitely had to do with passion. Dib could clearly remember how weird it had been, looking up one day to see Zim sauntering into class wearing a tight black shirt, and noticing it with such extremity that he felt a rabbit had jumped down his throat and was bouncing around in his chest. He'd perhaps had these feelings for even longer than that, but hadn't dwelled on them.  
  
The many aspects of Zim's colorful personality had always intrigued Dib, and he found himself wistfully falling for the alien's eccentric and cute bizarre behavior. And then there had always been that side of Zim that he only caught little glimpses of- his sweeter, more innocent side, and it had fascinated Dib for a very long time, the part of Zim that made him so…human. It made him think that there was a hell of lot more to the alien that had come to Earth, with plans for conquest, and an ego the size of a small planet.  
  
Lately though, Zim had been even more distant than usual. He and Dib had a class together, but today had been the first time in weeks that Zim had even acknowledged his presence. During each class the green-skinned boy would just sit in his seat in the very back of the room, boring holes into the ceiling and talking to no one. For quite a while, Dib had been expecting SOMETHING to happen, for Zim to come up with some new plot for world domination, or do something really stupid that made it obvious as to what he was, or that he would partake in the challenge to destroy his rival, 'something'. It actually had been years since they'd had a good, hard fight, not since their freshman year, and Dib…missed it. That challenge, the never-ending fight to better Zim had driven him for such a long time, and then it was gone. Sure, every once in a while they'd bump into each other in the hall, and snap that it was the other's fault, or Dib would say something and Zim overhearing, would tell him off, but it was nothing like the fervent battles they'd crazed over before. Missing that often made Dib feel that a part of 'himself' was missing, which was, truth be told, actually pretty accurate.  
  
//Zim IS probably the closest thing I do have for a friend. I've never had anybody hang around me for more than five minutes, but he's stuck with me for YEARS.// Dib realized, eyes still fixed on Zim. It was comforting, in a weird sort of way.  
  
Zim suddenly flailed his arm back and coughed violently. Dib frowned, reaching for the flu medicine on the nightstand and reading the back, took off the little measuring cup off of the top and opened the bottle, filling up the cup to what should have been the right amount. Recapping the medicine and putting down the cup next to it on the small table, he gently grabbed a hold of Zim's arm and shook him slightly. "Zim?"  
  
The boy's eyes shot open and he blinked, then focused on the person that had a hold of him. "Dib-human?" He asked, a little frown appearing in almost confusion.  
  
"Here, take this. You've been coughing in your sleep and you look really pale." Dib answered, offering him the cup full of thick red liquid.  
  
Zim sat up, causing his washcloth to fall off, eyeing the stuff wearily before taking it from his now ex-enemy, then tilted his head back and swallowed it down, wincing at the bitter taste. He looked down, and both he and Dib noticed that Dib still had his hand on Zim's arm. Dib blushed, withdrawing the hand while Zim said nothing, only paused for a long moment to stare at Dib, then uneasily slid back under the covers, placing the empty plastic clouded cup on the nightstand as he did so. A long moment of silence filled the room, all quiet except for the rain still pounding on the window and the soft breathing of the two boys.  
  
Zim yawned, blinking, as he settled against the pillows that smelt like Dib. "You know," He remarked, eyes almost shut as he stared quietly at the closed door in front of the bed. "I have never had anyone take care of me, like this… I like it….. Is that okay?"  
  
Dib's lips tweaked upwards in a little smile. "Very okay. I've never gotten to take care of someone like this, and I like it, too. I'm not really sure why, though." He said, taking the washcloth that was lying on Zim's chest and re-wetting it in the bowl, positioned it back on the green forehead. The other's lips also curved in a little smile, and he closed his eyes all the way, falling asleep again.  
  
Dib sat for a long time in the chair, watching Zim and thinking how horrible it would have been if he'd never had gotten the opportunity to be totally cared for. Remotely he remembered when he'd been a small child, and had gotten a bad cold. His father had been to busy to bother with him, and Gaz had just been her usual anti-social self, but his mother had stayed by him the whole time and done sweet motherly things. Like whispering sweet words or singing as she'd gently brush away the hair from his face with her cool, gentle fingers, or make him tea or soup, and she would keep on rinsing out his washcloth that she kept on his burning forehead, as he was doing to Zim now. He could remember how loved he'd felt, so comforted and safe, that someone could devote all of their time to make him feel better.  
  
And he doubted that Zim had ever felt that, and it was a heart wrenching sort of feeling to know that. Zim suddenly tossed his head, murmuring something, his brow furrowing, and Dib, feeling a bit nervous, reached out and smoothed the young man's raven black hair back tenderly. It seemed to work, as the boy settled back down with a little sigh. Dib smiled and kept on brushing back the hair from Zim's face with cool, gentle fingers.  
  
~*~*~*  
  
Awww, it's all so sweet! I know this was a hell of a lot shorter than the first chapter, but oh well. The whole point of this was to just understand what's going on and has been going on inside Dib's head. (Ah, what a spoooooky place to be O.o) I will soon get to what's going on inside Zim's head, getting to those neat-o questions that keep popping up. I beg you for reviews, they're one of the bestest best things in the whole, bigger-than- small world that we organizms reside in. Sorry if it's getting too sappy, I am like a maple tree when it comes to sap. Just don't try to stick a metal pipe into me to drain it out, I'll take that piece of aluminum and stuff it up your nose and then shall stab you to death with a spork. ^^ 


	3. Raking the Carpet

Love is Weird, But It Makes You Feel All Warm and Tingly Inside!!  
  
1 Chapter 3- Raking the Carpet  
  
By: Kichara  
  
Hey organizms! It's 5 in the morning, and I just couldn't wait to start writing again, so here I am. Damn, I got 11 reviews within 24 hours of having this story up. That like makes me a friggin' demi-God of writing!! Thank you so much for all the reviews! I was so happy to see them I printed them out, reading and re-reading them like they were some really good lemon (^^), and was so hyper I couldn't sit still all day! And since I was wearing all black and lots of silver jewelry, I'm sure I scared more than one person. Oh well, I think over-happy goth's/punk peoples are cool! Like Tenna! Qwik note: I hadda little thingy in my first chapter dedicated to one of Jhonen-sama's very cool chars, Devi, but nobody's caught it yet. ( Ohhh, well. Aaaaanyway, I must go to write my fic now cuz I'M REALLY FRIGGIN COOOOOOOOOOL!!!! Yeah, that's right! *laughs insanely and falls out of her chair*  
  
  
  
Zim's eyes opened, fixing on an unfamiliar ceiling. He blinked, unsure of where he was, and then the corner of his eye caught hold of Dib. The alien sat up, studying his ex-nemesis, who was sitting in a chair by the bed. He was asleep, sliding down in the chair with his arms on the covers, head resting on them. Zim blinked to see him so close, a warm feeling growing in his gut as he remembered what had happened. 'He took care of me.'  
  
It was still dark outside, but the faintest hints of morning were fading in and out of the sky, as Zim could see through the bedroom's window. He glanced at the glowing digital clock on the night stand, reading that it was 5:42 and was surprised to see it was Sunday. 'I've been here for THAT long?' Also on the little table was a bowl and pitcher filled with water, some damp washcloths, a box of opened wheat thins and a couple of browning apple cores. The teenage alien pushed the covers down to the bottom of the bed, tossing his long legs off and standing up. He walked over to the other side of the piece of furniture, where Dib was eased against, and carefully put one arm under the boy's legs, the other behind his back, and lifted him up and set him gently down on the empty bed, taking off the other's glasses and placing them on the nightstand. Dib murmered, a slight smile curling at his lips, and Zim felt his chest tighten at the sight as he pulled the blanket up to Dib's slim shoulders. He stood up straight, arms folding and frowning slightly as he tried to dismiss the sudden wave of emotion that had washed over him.  
  
The alien stood for a long moment, looking almost stern, and then his eyes traveled back to Dib, who still had the ghost of a smile on his face. Zim sighed in defeat, turning away. As he looked around for his clothes, his mind went over the other boy occupying the room, who had also been the only thing occupying his mind for endless weeks now. The reason why he'd collapsed on Friday probably had to do with the fact that it was hard to remember when he'd gotten a decent amount of sleep. All he seemed to do lately was stay up late, staring blankly at the huge computer screens of his lab, or wandering the streets at ungodly hours.  
  
Zim entered the small bathroom, where he found his clothes hanging up on the shower bar. They felt a bit stiff, but were dry, at least. He wriggled into the jeans, but stopped at his torn shirt, looking down at the gauze that was still wrapped around his toned chest. He pulled off the tape, unraveling the bandage and tossing it into the bathroom waste basket. The long cut was beginning to heal, scabbing up, and Zim decided to go without the shirt, as it would only agitate the wound, so he tucked it into the waistband of his jeans.  
  
Looking at the cut reminded him of Friday, which in turn reminded him of Dib. Not that much didn't anymore. He growled softly, irritated at himself for a reason he was still having trouble placing. He walked back into the bedroom, eyes automatically reaching the boy, and decided to go elsewhere, as being in the same room with the sole occupier of his thoughts wasn't helping to clear his mind at all.  
  
He padded past the bed, quietly opening the door and shutting it behind him, going down the stairs and into the tiny kitchen. The young man sighed, closing his eyes, then opened them as they burned his eyelids. Remembering that he'd had his contacts in for two days, he took them out, placing them on the counter top. He almost hesitated at the idea of looking normal (for him), but took into account that Dib had been taking care of him for two days, and hadn't done anything in an effort to expose Zim. 'I can trust him.' Zim realized, lips lifting up in a little smile. It felt good to know that.  
  
Remembering that Dib had taken care of him for that long made Zim feel the need to do something in return, but he frowned, unsure of what he should do. The fact that he was in a kitchen and that it was morning suddenly hit him, and the idea of making Dib breakfast came to mind. He opened a cupboard, peeking inside to see a small stack of plates and some glasses. He frowned slightly, going to open the next cupboard, but found it empty. Leaving both open, he moved on until he found the cabinet full of different boxes and cans, going over them thoughtfully as he read their contents. 'Sliced carrots, Ramen, Frosted Flakes, Baked Beans, Corn muffins…don't humans eat that for breakfast?' He pulled out the box in question, studying the golden pastries on the front. "Hmmm…"  
  
  
  
Dib rolled over, almost falling out of the narrow bed as he did so. As his arm and hip slid off the edge he let out a little yelp and rolled back so he wouldn't tumble to the floor, succeeding in getting tangled up in the sheets and falling out of the bed anyway. Grumbling, he detangled himself from the sheets, tossing the balled up bedding onto the now stripped piece of furniture. Thoroughly irritated, he stalked towards the bathroom and the shower that he felt he desparetely needed at that point, as he felt quite grundgy and tired. As he tossed his clothes into the dirty laundry corner, his groggy ming clicked suddenly. Zim. But…  
  
He quickly looked around the room for the alien in question, then deflated as he found no trace of him. //He must have gone home.// He realized, a cloud of depression falling overhead at the thought of being left alone by the person he'd said to now be his friend. He'd hoped for them to at least accomplish THAT, since Dib knew there was no chance he'd ever get the chance to love Zim like he wanted to. Not that their friendship was looking all that great at the moment anyway. He stepped into the shower and slid the cloudy glass door shut behind him, reaching out to press the On button. A soft clank sounded behind the tile wall and then the water came pouring out, icy coldness hitting Dib. "Oh crap!" He yelped, quickly moving out of the water's path to wait for it to warm up. The cold had woken up the young man though, getting the intelligent gears working in his head, and as he scrubbed vigorously at his skin, a sudden thought struck him motionless.  
  
//I fell asleep in the chair by the bed, but I woke up IN it….Did Zim…put me there?// The thought made Dib toss the soap back into it's dish, rinse off quickly, and jump out of the shower, intent on going to find Zim. He felt sure that by Zim putting him into bed meant he didn't hate him, at least. And that was all Dib needed right now to get him going.  
  
Dib grabbed the towel hanging on the rack, quickly rubbing his body dry and half sprinted to his dresser. There, he grabbed the first clothes he saw, tossing them on, and plucked his glasses off the nightstand , a burning sensation tickling his chest when he remembered they'd been on him when he'd fallen asleep in the chair. He opened the door, hurried down the steps, taking several of them two at a time and was almost to the front door…when he got to the kitchen doorway. The young man stopped, staring inside.  
  
Zim was bent over, closely inspecting a small muffin pan that had six… 'somethings' in it. His bottom lip was pushed out in a thoughtful pout, one eye narrowed, with his antennae twitching slightly as he studied them. Dib burst out laughing, noticing how cute Zim looked right then. The alien quickly stood up straight, eyes wide as he saw Dib in the kitchen doorway. A sweet laugh was leaving him and filling the room, and he was dressed in a pair of jeans and a black wife beater, with his hair wet and falling down in a wilder mess than usual.  
  
//He's beautiful.// The alien thought suddenly, and a crimson color grew below his eyes as he silently scolded himself for the automatic thought.  
  
Time stopped for a second in Dib's mind as Zim stood up, his rose eyes wide as he stared at Dib. He wasn't wearing his shirt, although he had on those damned tight balck jeans. The alien's mouth dropped slightly and a slight blush spread across his face. Dib blinked, heart beat quickening at the sight of the georgous Irken. //Oh my God…//  
  
Then Zim blinked, placing his hands on his hips as he regarded Dib with a stern look. "What's so funny, human?"  
  
The laugh that had paused at Dib's observation of the other faded into a smile and he walked more into the kitchen. "Nothing. You just looked funny, that's all." He indicated to the muffin pan. " What are those?"  
  
Zim was about to retort at the idea of 'looking funny', but instead the blush that had started to fade started up again, distracting him from that. He directed his attention to the piece of metal with it's six lumpy tenants. "Um…corn muffins?"  
  
Dib came closer, bending over to look at the deformed pastries, which were a funny yellow color with splotches of white scattered across the surface. "What's the white stuff?"  
  
"Um, flour. The mixture didn't look 'golden brown', so I added flour to it."  
  
"They're supposed to be golden brown when you cook them, not before then." Dibs' smile grew and he stood up, noticing that all the cabinets were open. "Well, it's the thought that counts, right? Thanks Zim." Zim's blush grew a little more, his face turning a lovely fushia now.  
  
Dib reached over, shutting one of the cabinets left open by Zim's search for breakfast. The alien saw what he was doing and went to help, going to the other side of the room to shut the cabinets there. Dib finished with his side first, and turned to look at Zim again, who was facing the other way, one arm up to shut the cabinet door. The boy's honey colored eyes quickly noticed the muscles of the alien's back, defined by the motion of having his arm up, and he held his breath unintentionally. As he stared at the lean muscles, his eyes noticed the two indentions along Zim's spine, where his Irken pack would have attached to. Zim lowered his arm, causing the defined muscles to ripple slightly, and he turned, surprised to see Dib gaping at his slightly. "What?"  
  
Dib blinked, rapidly searching his creativity for an answer. "I, um, just noticed where your Irken pack goes." He blinked again, eyebrows furrowing slightly in thought and realization. "Wait a second, it's been a while since you last wore that thing, hasn't it?"  
  
Zim's eyes widened slightly and he looked down at the floor. "I know. I…haven't needed it." He said quietly. "I made coffee too, you know." He added, more to the linoleum than to Dib.  
  
Dib frowned slightly, then went to take out the only two mugs he owned, one saying, 'I'll Rise But I Won't Shine,' while the other proclaimed, 'Life is Like a Box of Chocolates, You've Gotta Eat It Up Before It Goes Stale,' asking Zim if he drank coffee.  
  
"Yes."  
  
Dib walked over to the coffee machine, which was on the counter by Zim, and filled up the cups while his companion continued to stare at the floor. Being closer, Dib could see the look on Zim's face, which was a mixture of agitation and what looked like pain. "Zim?" He asked tentatively, unsure.  
  
The other lifted his head, almost looking surprised at seeing Dib so close, staring intently at him. "What is it?"  
  
"Is something wrong?" Dib placed both cups on opposite sides of the little table in the center of the room, sitting down and motioning to the other chair, which Zim took. He picked up the cup of black coffee, taking a sip and then peered almost passionately at the mug that was gripped in his hands, avoiding Dib's eyes.  
  
"Zim?"  
  
"Yes." The alien looked up, seeming unsure and Dib bit his lip, racking his brains for something to say.  
  
"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."  
  
A long pause filled the kitchen, and then Zim continued, quietly. "I'm not allowed to go back home."  
  
Dib blinked, startled. "What?"  
  
"A couple of months ago, I received a call from the Tallest's telling me that I was nothing but a disgrace to the Irken empire. They said they'd only sent me to Earth in the first place to get rid of me." He sighed, sounding tired. "I can't fit in there and I can't fit in here. Stupid." He took a long draught from the coffee, swallowing half of it.  
  
Dib watched him, silently digesting this information as he watched his old enemy toss back the coffee into his mouth and shake his head, seemingly tired. //He didn't even have to take over Earth. They were just… playing around with him.// Unexpected anger caused his hand to curl up tightly into a fist and Zim looked at the other in surprise.  
  
"Dib-human?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Zim."  
  
Zim's automatic defense kicked in, and he forced out, "I- I don't need your pity, stinking Earth monkey! I'm fine, do you really think that- that…" Dib's eyes quietly bore into his, looking a little sad and Zim bit his lip, eyes going back to his coffee cup as he near-whispered. "Thank you."  
  
Dib waited for a second before saying, "I'm glad we decided to become friends.", and watching Zim intently, finally taking a sip of coffee.  
  
The green-skinned boy nodded, finishing off the cup and twirling it on the table for a minute before finally answering. "Me too."  
  
Dib polished off the black coffee, pushing his chair back and standing up to put it in the semi-full sink. Zim went to do the same, and their eyes suddenly made contact as he did so. Neither said anything, and slowly, unconsiously, the ex-rivals titled towards each other, becoming closer, then…  
  
*CRACK, BANG*  
  
"Masteeeer!! I found youuuu!!!" The two quickly turned to see GIR as he ran in through the doorway, took a bounding leap and landed on the table, taking another to pounce Zim, little arms wrapping around his neck as he squealed happily. "I looked eeeeeverywhere for you, in the library, and school, and the ice cream shop, and Mexico, and the music store, but you weren't there!" He pushed back the head of his dog outfit, which was quite battered after GIR's travelings, and continued babbling to the Irken. "But you've been here all this time!! And you guys are half dressed and all close and stuff!!" The gears seemed to be turning as he tilted his head to side. "Did you guys have seeeeex?!!! DIDYOUDIDYOUDIDYOUDIDYOUUUUUUU?!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Both boys simultaneously turned a bright crimson and Zim detached the robot from himself, tossing the giggling thing to the ground as he yelled. "NO!!!!"  
  
"Reaaaaally??" the demented SIR unit sat up, looking tremendously disapointed. " Too bad."  
  
Dib looked up from the robot to Zim, meeting his ruby eyes, and felt his blush burn even brighter. "Um…"  
  
"IS THERE ANYWAY THAT WE MIGHT ASSIST YOU IN THE DE-GERMING OF YOUR LIVING QUARTERS?!!" Zim asked loudly, his face as red as Dib's as he desperately tried to change the subject.  
  
Dib looked infinitely grateful as he responded to Zim's outburst. "Um, yeah, actually. I've got to keep the apartment clean in case the land lady comes by to check on it."  
  
"GIR!" Zim said, still loudly, to the robot, who had found Zim's "muffins" and was happily crunching down on one. He cocked his head to the side as he looked at his master, a big grin plastered on his face. "UNSOIL THE EATING DEVICES IN THE SINK WHILE I AID DIB-HUMAN IN THE TIDYING OF HIS DWELLING!"  
  
"Ooookay!" GIR finished the muffin, smacking his lips together loudly as he grabbed a chair and shoved it to the sink. He clambered up in it, put the plug into the drain, and added plenty of dishsoap and water. While he was preoccupied with the chore, Dib and Zim moved out of the kitchen to the living room.  
  
Dib began straightening up the magazine's that were strewn across the coffee table. Zim picked up the miscellaneous dishes that were around the room, leaving for a second the dump them into the sink. There, GIR was humming the Power Rangers theme song, and he happily proclaimed his title as Aquaman to Zim as his companion dumped the dishes into the sink, then headed back to the living room.  
  
"Dosen't your floor need cleaning?" Zim asked Dib, noticing as he did that the boy's cheeks were pale again and taking note of his own cooled face.  
  
"Yeah, wait a second." Dib went to a small closet in the corner, rummaging through it for a moment, and pulled out...  
  
"A rake?" Zim blinked in confusion.  
  
"Yeah, it's shag carpeting. Too tough for vaccums to survive it. " He said, handing the gardening tool to Zim, who eyed it thoughtfully. "Oh, and you gotta make sure to rake it this way, not that way, so it stands up straight and looks cleaner." He said, motioning with his hands, then went back to straightening up while Zim got started.  
  
Several minutes passed in silence, except for GIR, who was uttering musical sounds in the form of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit", and Brittany Spears. Zim pushed aside the couch to rake underneath it and stopped, studying the carpet closely. "Is that pink?"  
  
"It's the original carpet color, kind of a mix between green and pink. It comes out as a sorta puce color, don't you think?"  
  
They finished together, and Dib put the rake back in the closet. The boys went back to the kitchen, where GIR was sitting on the table lously eating another muffin.  
  
"All done!" He announced, kicking his short legs and waving at the sink. "I put the dishes away and everything! Can we go home now?"  
  
"Fine GIR." Zim popped in his contacts, which were still on the counter, then headed upstairs to get his combat boots and gloves. Dib smiled as he realized that Zim hadn't been in his disguise at all, totally open for Dib to take advantage of that. //Does he trust me?//  
  
"Zim, do you want to borrow a shirt?" He called out, moving to the foot of the stairs. "Y'know, since yours is ripped?" He started up the stairs.  
  
Zim was sitting on Dib's bed, lacing up his boots. "It would be appreciated." He answered, watching as the human opened a dresser drawer. Dib sifted through what was left of his clothes, realizing how much he REALLY needed to do laundry. He finally pulled out a plain blue T-shirt, mindgul of Zim's healing cut, which he tossed to Zim.  
  
Zim caught the piece of clothing easily, his claw-like fingers gripping the fabric. He quickly pulled it over his head, and tugged on his specially made fighter's gloves that Dib had tucked into his boots before. The alien stood up, smoothing his antennae back into his hair and studied Dib for a long moment. An awkward minute of silence passed, until it was broken by a bang and squeal of joy from downstairs.  
  
"GIR!" Zim yelled out, receiving a tirade of giggles in response as he walked out of the room and down the stairs, Dib close behind. They found GIR in the kitchen, bouncing from one chair to the other as he cheerfully sang Godsmack. He looked up as the two came in, squealing happily as he announced. " I'm playin' musical chairs!!"  
  
"GIR, cease your destructive behavior!" Zim commanded, grabbing a hold of the robot's antennae as reached mid-leap.  
  
"Are we gonna go home now?" The deranged SIR unit chirped, swinging his legs.  
  
"Yes, we're going home." Zim growled, irritated, and let the robot drop to the linoleum. He turned to Dib and blinked, suddenly unsure of himself. "Um, Dib-human…thank you."  
  
Dib blushed for the umpteenth time that morning. "You're welcome. I'll uh, see you in school tommorow." He fidgeted, pulling some lint off his tank top.  
  
As Zim was trying to come up with a response, GIR grabbed the muffin pan and sped out of the room, calling out, "Beat you home, master!!" The voice was followed by a loud crack and a round of insane cackling.  
  
"Thank you again. I shall see you tommorow." Zim said in one breath, then ran after his disfunctional SIR unit, calling out. "GIR! At least put the rest of your costume back on!"  
  
Dib walked to the front door, which had been left open and had two GIR- shaped holes in it, obviously where he'd made his entrance and exit. Dib bent to pick up the pieces of broken wood, shttuing the door with a grimace. "The land lady's gonna kill me…" He noticed a white object under the potted plant in the hall and frowned as he realized it was a dinner plate.  
  
The boy groaned as he headed for the kitchen sink to rewash the plate, which had little bits of black soil clinging to it. He also made a mental note to look around carefully for the rest of the dishes that had been 'put away' by GIR.  
  
*~*~*  
  
WAHAHAHAAAA!!! I'M FINISHED!!!! Geez, I worked my ass off to get this thing done, and it wasn't easy,since I'm busy as hell with school work and what not(Prom, Art club, Stupid people, Graduation, blehhhh….), so you'd all better appreciate this, damnitt!! …Please? I really love all the reviews, getting them makes me all hyper and stuff. *hands out sporks to all her reviewers* Thanks go out to my best friend Lindsey, who's my helper and fellow brainstormer. I'd also like to thank Pantera, sporks and the makers of Tootsie pops, for without them, my life could not continue on in a semi- sane sorta way and get my stories written. And thanks to my friend Claudia, who got me a Dib pin. YAY! I like to talk to my little Dib, it helps me keep my sanity (although many disagree). More dank you's go to SwEeTiNsAnItY, who gave me a toaster. She's so neat-o! *cuddles toaster* Check out her story in my Favorite stories, it's awesome, the spork commands you! Obey the spork!  
  
Oh, another note, I've made the BIG decision to end this story in an NC-17 sorta way (which is a big step for me. I haven't written any lemons before), so any encouraging remarks are helpful so I can get the guts to do so. Anyhoo, enough of my rambling. ^^ Bye!  
  
*Oh yeah, and the quote, "Life is like a box of chocolates, You've gotta eat it up before it goes stale.", was actually made up my ME (Wahaahaahaa, check out my creative wordplay), so…well, I dunno. I just wanted to stick that in here somewhere. ^^ No steal or Kichara beat you. ^^ 


	4. Damn Those Perverted Brit's !!

Love is Weird But It Makes You Feel All Warm and Tingly Inside!!  
By: Kichara  
Chapter 4- Damn Those Perverted Brit's!!  
  
Wassup, all! Thanks so much for reading. Big thanks to SwEeTiNsAnItY, she be   
so cool and Kichara luv her much. And you put my story up in your favorites!   
You're so...so...NEAT-O!!!! *huggles her and gives her one of those party favor   
thingies, the little neon-colored stick thing with the two balls on the end   
that you gotta knock together* Do these things even HAVE a name? O.o Now   
don't hurt yourself, dear. ^^ Wouldn't want you to not be able to write more   
of your story cuz' you got a concussion by the little plastic ball thingies   
on sticks.... And anybody who hasn't read SwEeT's story, you better do it   
(it's on my favorites), or I'll have to stab you with my mighty spork of   
doom and then finish you off with an empty box of Cheezits. I will, don't   
make me do it!!!  
  
Oh, qwik note, cuz I forgot to put it in at the end of the last chapter. My   
very bestest friend, Lindsey, gave me the idea for raking the carpet,   
because she actually DID do that. Shit you not. ^^  
  
*sniff, sniff* I'm so sad. I gotta mean review! WAHHHH!!!! Why're you so   
mean to me!!! I can't help it I'm deranged and creative! It's the way God   
maaaaaaaade meeeee!!!! WAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Stupid person. Well, I think   
Jar Jar Binks is Stupid, so there! *raspberry* May you be forever condemned   
to the pit of angry toilets!!! *sniff, sniff* (Kichara needs a hug.)... (She   
also needs to stop talking in third person. It's probably bad for her   
health.)  
  
Bugsygurl: Haha, glad you like Zim's...beefy-ness. But not Too beefy. I'm   
going more for that Gene Starwind sorta physique. Mmmm, Gene...I named my car   
Gene, cuz it's red, like Gene's purty hair. I was gonna name it Toya (after   
Toya in Ayashi no Ceres), but I thought it woulda sounded weird, since it's   
a Toyota and all. Uh, whatever. I love my car! Too bad it doesn't go. Poor   
Gene, but at least he looks so pretty as a lawn ornament out there with the   
weeds! ^^  
  
Sen: I luv your reviews! Thanks for saying I made GIR all...GIR-like *whoosh,   
insert dramatic sound effect here* And you said I'm a great writer! Skipidee   
dee! And you liked my Zim with long hair idea!  
  
Miracle Chick is kewl 2! *gives her a Tootsie pop wrapper. A red one* ^^   
Your so nice and tootsie-pop-wrapper-givable! May the Swartz be with you!  
  
Thanks to everyone else too (except for mean old Miz) like ArmandLeg *gives   
out Cheezits to all*. Now sit back and enjoy. THE SPORK COMMANDS IT TO BE   
SO!!!  
  
  
4th period. The last period before lunch, meaning that students were always   
bound to be more hyper than usual, eager to get out. Zim moodily observed   
this fact as he slouched down in his seat at the back of the room,   
absent-mindedly watching the babbling high-schooler's as they entered the   
classroom, observing the door intently for Dib. The boy in question came in   
by himself, eyes fixed to the ground. He looked up suddenly, as if drawn by   
Zim's close stare, to lock eyes with the alien.  
  
Zim blushed self-consciously and quickly moved his gaze to his desk, closely   
inspecting the graffiti scribbled there as he waited for Dib to sit down.   
The tardy bell rang, a long shrill screech that made loose papers on the   
wall rattle and bring in a few straggling students that hurried to their   
desks. Zim looked up from studying a carefully drawn heart that proclaimed   
Hitari's love for Legolas to see their evil teacher, Mr. Zella, step in. A   
tall man with a neatly trimmed short brown beard flecked with gray, and   
wearing a pair of slacks and a long-sleeved Oxford shirt, he ran sharp brown   
eyes over the class before announcing, "Welcome to Hell. We've got a busy   
schedule ahead of us, so open up your Literature of Britain books to page   
676 so we can get your daily torture session over and done with."  
  
At the sound of his voice, all talking had respectfully ceased in the   
classroom, and the only sounds now were the shuffling of books and creaking   
of chairs as the students moved to obey. Zim dared to look over at Dib, who   
was flipping through the tattered pages of the thick textbook and the alien   
smiled to himself, ever so slightly, as he watched the back of the other's   
head. How well he knew that back. Zim spent most of his time in class   
staring at the wild hair.  
  
How could something so simple be so fascinating? Those jagged ends of the   
ebony hair ending in their crooked line just above Dib's collar. It was   
still very similar to what it had been back when Zim had first met him,   
still untidy with that cute scythe-like cowlick, with the single exception   
in that Dib had grown it out in the back some. //I wonder how it feels. It's   
so stiff-looking, but could it be soft...// The green-skinned youth blinked,   
brow furrowing and his face settling into a light scowl. //Where did that   
come from?//  
  
Zim found it somewhat amusing, the fact that he would always study the other   
in class, until Dib would turn his way. The alien would then automatically   
lift his eyes to the ceiling. He'd undergone the same process for weeks now   
and it was satisfying that he could keep the secret of watching his supposed   
rival so well. Although it all felt unsatisfying in the fact that somewhere,   
Zim felt that he WANTED Dib to realize the ritual. //How strange.//  
  
Zim's squarish pupils traveled down to the title on the page. //Kubla Khan?   
What in the name of Irk does that mean?//  
  
"In Xanadu did Kubla Khan  
A stately pleasure-dome decree." Mr. Zella began reading aloud from the   
front of the room, thick textbook cradled in his arms as he stalked from one   
side of the room to the other. The poem went on to describe the beautiful   
place known as Kubla Khan, with it's fertile ground and bright gardens.  
  
"But oh! that deep romantic chasm which slanted  
Down down the green hill adwart a cedarn cover."  
  
Dib blinked, eyebrows coming together in thought. //Deep romantic chasm?//  
  
"And from this chasm, with ceaseless turmoil seething,  
As of this earth in fast thick pants were breathing,  
A mighty fountain was forced."  
  
The young man blinked, then blinked again, eyes moving from Mr. Zella to his   
book, where he carefully looked over the words, then to Mr. Zella, and   
finally back to his book to closely examine the words there. //That chasm   
thing again. And pants? What the heck does fountain have...to...Oh my   
God...// He could feel his face begin to burn, cheeks turning to crimson as   
realization kicked in and he figured out exactly what this poem was about.  
  
"Weave a circle round him thrice,  
And close your eyes with holy dread,  
For he on honeydew hath fed,  
And drunk the milk of Paradise." The slightly deranged and definitely evil   
teacher slammed his book shut, a loud crack sounding in response. He looked   
up at his class. "Does anyone know what this poem is about?"  
  
The room was silent until Dib fell out of his chair with a loud crash, his   
textbook falling and skidding across the floor as he tumbled to the tile.  
  
Mr. Zella smirked at Dib's twitching figure. "I see at least Mister Membrane   
has. For homework, I want a 200 word comp on your interpretation of Kubla   
Khan, no exceptions, due tomorrow."  
  
Dib unsteadily pulled himself back into his seat, and looked around for his   
book, trying valiantly to calm his burning face. He found the book at his   
nose-level, clasped in a gloved green hand and the boy looked up to Zim's   
quizzical eyes, one narrowed as he studied his old rival in amusement and   
curiosity as he held out Dib's book to the embarrassed boy. Dib took it   
gratefully, avoiding Zim's gaze as the other headed back to his desk. //Damn   
those perverted Brit's...// He hissed mentally, fidgeting with the layers of   
thin cardboard that were the corner of his battered textbook.  
  
"In other news I've got a wonderful announcement for you all. Time for   
senior research papers!" Mr. Zella paused, waiting for the class' collective   
groan to finish before continuing. "This is a major part of your senior   
year, as well as your grade, and I expect you all to put your blood, sweat   
and other bodily fluids into the effort. I've done the honor of picking out   
your partners for you all, so finish your whining now so we can move on.   
First I have Miss Tracy Smith with Mister Justin Davis. If you don't get   
along now, you'd better get used to each other, real fast. Life's going to   
be full of people you won't like; this is great practice for that. Next, we   
have Miss Summer Orlando and Cheryl Sweet..."  
  
Dib pressed the cool palm of his hand against the burning flesh of his   
cheek, aiding in the process of cooling it back to normal. His thought began   
to drift from the classroom, focusing on the past Saturday. He'd spent the   
entire day at Zim's side, leaving only for a minute to grab his wet sneakers   
and book bag from downstairs, hurrying back up with them in hand to sit back   
at Zim's unresponsive side. How long had he stared at that prone figure, who   
did nothing but sleep the entire day, falling into an almost hibernative   
state. It'd been the most soothing thing Dib had done in a long time,   
sitting with his knees tucked to his chest and watching his ex-rival and   
current obsession take in long, sleep-ridden breaths, toned chest slowly   
moving up and down.  
  
The time had been so relaxing, giving Dib plenty of time to think over   
things as he watched Zim's peaceful face, it's usual frown erased into a   
smooth, sweet and innocent look. How mature they'd grown to be, giving up   
their juvenile nature's years ago as their childish minds and bodies grew   
into that of an adult's. The sound of his name broke Dib out of his daydream   
in time to hear, "Mister Dib Membrane and Zim Nekri."  
  
The paranormal-obsessed young man blinked, then swiveled his torso around to   
look into Zim's face, which was as surprised as his own. Mr. Zella finished   
off the list of names, regarding his class (more than half of them in a   
stupefied state at the idea of working with their given partner) with a smug   
look. He reached for a small stack of papers on his desk, "These," He   
explained as he passed them out to the people at the front of the rows to   
pass back, "Are a list of all the available topics. Get with your partner to   
decide which one you want to do, and I want an answer by next class period."   
Zim numbly took the paper that was handed back to him, glancing at the black   
font before looking back at Dib. The human's brow was furrowed slightly as   
he studied the paper and Zim was unable to suppress the smile that crept   
unexpectedly to his lips at a sight he deemed quite...cute.  
  
Memories came crashing down on him at the sight of Dib and his...cuteness;   
more recent one's to be exact. It was hard to determine when Dib had been   
the only thing occupying his mind, but the Irken did know it had been QUITE   
a while. The previous Friday was a prime example. Zim, who SHOULD have been   
hurrying home, as he didn't feel very good and was out in the rain that was   
starting to pierce through his repellant and burn the sensitive flesh   
underneath, had seen Dib hurry out of school and had decided, pushing far   
against that thing called Reason to follow the boy home to ensure he got   
there safely. It was hard to describe how angry he'd felt when he'd seen the   
slender human pulled into the alley, back almost a block to avoid detection,   
but it had been... a lot. And after he'd saved Dib, he'd had to force   
himself to keep a cool exterior, lest Dib suspect something, when he'd   
wanted nothing more than to pull the human close in a fierce...hug, yes that   
was what it was called.  
  
He'd started to feel so horribly dizzy at that point. He should have been   
hurrying home, to dry himself off and rest his exhausted body, but he'd been   
reluctant to leave. WHY? Zim ground his teeth together unconsciously as he   
tried to sort out the dizzying thoughts. The bell rang, startling the alien   
out of them as a soft cheer sounded from most of the class as they stood up   
and headed for the door. The Irken shook his head to himself as he tucked   
the topic paper into his textbook, looking up as he realized someone had   
moved up to his desk.  
  
"Hey Zim. Uh, do you...want to sit together at lunch? We can figure out what   
to do our paper on." Dib asked, shifting from one foot to the other   
uncomfortably.  
  
"That sounds like a reasonable idea, worm-baby." Zim stood up, grabbing his   
book and holding it at his side with a claw-like hand. Dib started walking   
down the aisle and the alien followed closely behind, out of the near-empty   
class and into the crowded hallway. There, he moved forward to walk   
alongside the human, speaking only to stop Dib. "Here's my locker. "He   
explained, stopping at one of the steel cabinets that lined the hallway,   
motioning for Dib to stay still. The green-skinned boy fiddled with the   
lock, banged on it three times, and the stubborn door reluctantly opened   
with a loud creak.  
  
The contents of the locker were very few, consisting of just a couple of   
textbooks and Dib's cupcake tray and his shirt. Zim pulled out Dib's   
belonging, handing them to the human. "Thank you for the use of your   
garments. GIR liked the muffins." He placed his Language Arts book down with   
the others, closing the locker and twisting the lock.  
  
Dib pulled one of his arms out the backpack's straps, twisting it around   
onto his hip to open it and place his returned items inside. He laughed,   
"Well, glad HE did. I think they might've gone to waste otherwise." Zim   
snorted in response, heading down the hall towards the cafeteria with Dib   
close behind.  
  
The food looked as un-appetizing as always, the boys found out as they went   
to the lunch line. They paid for the greasy contents, then headed to the   
table in the corner where Zim usually sat, completely empty for that fact.   
Dib sat down next to Zim, who was poking experimentally at an off-white lump   
of what Dib assumed was supposed to be mashed potatoes, and pulled out the   
topic paper from his book bag, laying it down on the table for them to   
study.  
  
The human raised an eyebrow as he started to read them to himself. //The   
inside of a ping-pong ball; The difference between Sporks and Foons;   
Volcanic Pottery; Aerial sewage systems and their practicality; The usage of   
Australian coral in Nepalese cuisine; Moon dairy farming; Martial arts   
vegetables across the world; The presence of woodwork in stone masonry; THE   
EXISTANCE OF GOD IN A UNIVERSE WITHOUT YOGURT?!!!!// "What the heck?" He   
turned to look at Zim, who had one had propping his head up as he   
scrutinized the paper thoughtfully. "Um, Zim?" He looked down to see 'Oxford   
University.'  
  
"Yes?" The artificial blue eyes looked up to Dib's true honey-colored one's.   
Two girls walked by the two at that moment, dressed all in white dresses and   
clutching bible's to their chests. They both had long, flowing blonde hair   
and blue eyes, which were filled with tears at the moment. Wide berth was   
given to them as they swooped about the cafeteria, as discussion about what   
was wrong with the religion-obsessed girls was passed around. 'Oh, they were   
in Mr. Zella's class first period. They figured out what Kubla Khan meant   
and have been twitching all day and sprouting out psalms. Best idea to stay   
clear away from them, more than usual. "By the way, Dib-human, what was your   
malfunction during class?"  
  
Dib's blush started up and he nervously played with his meatloaf. "Uh,   
nothing. The poem just um, uh, yeah... Anyway, there's Oxford University.   
It was one of the first colleges ever established. I bet we could get a lot   
of info on it."  
  
"Oh, I don't know. I was thinking about the 'Compare and Contrast the use of   
breakfast cereals throughout religions of the world' one." Zim answered,   
amused by Dib's reddened face and deciding not to push the idea at the   
moment.  
  
"WHAT?!" The tone was just a 'tad' exasperated.  
  
Zim narrowed one eye. "What?"  
  
"Oh, so why don't we just bring up how sprinkling of Froot Loops on cows in   
Africa is similar to the ritual of bathing Buddha's in Rice Crispies?!" Dib   
raised his arms frantically, trying to get his point across.  
  
Which Zim didn't get. "Really? You humans have such odd rituals."  
  
"I was being sarcastic."  
  
"Oh." Zim pushed around his lump of potatoes, avoiding Dib's agitated gaze.   
"Then we'll go along with your Oxford idea then."  
  
Dib sighed, feeling bad for getting irritated at Zim. "Sorry, it's not you.   
It's just that...these topics are ridiculous." He spooned some soggy green   
beans into his mouth.  
  
"I thought they sounded a bit odd." Zim nodded his head in agreement,   
pushing his spoon into the potatoes and forming it into some odd shape.  
  
"Oxford it is, then. Geez, why do we always seem to get stuck with the weird   
teachers?"  
  
"It's beyond my line of reasoning. Perhaps it's some higher being's idea of   
a joke to place us in such odd situations in your planet's educational   
system."  
  
Dib chuckled. "Remember that one in 10th grade who was convinced she was a   
sponge, every day for five minutes at exactly 1:30?"  
  
Zim chortled, amused with the memory as he dug his spoon into the potatoes.   
"It did put sort of a kink in the learning process didn't it?"  
  
The bell rang, startling the two boys. Dib stood up first, looking down at   
Zim, who was closely studying his potato sculpture, which faintly   
resembled... "Zim? What's that supposed to be?"  
  
Zim smirked as he stood up. "You. I think it has more brain matter, though."  
  
The brunette threw a mock punch at Zim, who chuckled as he dodged out of the   
way, heading towards the trash reciprocal with Dib close behind.  
  
*~*~*~  
JESUS, I'M FINALLY DONE! It's been sooo hectic lately, and the only time I   
ever have to work on this is when my parents go out and I have to baby-sit.   
And I'm not in the right frame of mind (not in much of a mind at all,   
actually) when I'm watching over the family's demon-spawns. I can only get   
anything done when they go to sleep. And oh, how they will stay up. Just to   
torment my tortured soul.  
  
Well, Kichara has been officially Jhonen-isized (DUM DUM!!!!). I just got   
all of the Johnny the Homicidal Maniac's, and borrowed Squee from my friend   
Mike. And now I have this.. Thing for Johnny. I WUV HIM!!! Yeah, don't   
bother telling me I'm demented. it's already a well-known fact. Plans for a   
Johnny/Devi romance are bouncing around in my head at this time, but I'm   
determined to stick to this story to finish it.  
  
Y'know, Kubla Khan actually IS a real poem, and believe it or not, so's Mr.   
Zella. there really ARE people like this who exist. I'm not sure if I should   
be elated or very, very scared.  
  
Sigh, nobody said anything about my Zim-making-muffins idea. Well, *I*   
thought it was cute. But then again, I also think snakes are quite adorable.  
  
Many thanks to Lindsey and David, who helped with the topics. *snicker* I'm   
very amused with them. This was a chapter for friends, with all my little   
thingies put in there for them. Let's hope they catch them and write to tell   
me how cool I am. ^^ FISHIE!!! *gnaws on a trout* 


	5. Losing Your Soul on an Index Card

Love is Weird But It Makes You Feel All Warm and Tingly Inside!  
  
Chapter 5-Losing Your Soul on an Index Card  
  
By: Kichara  
  
Whee!! Chapter 5 is up! Geez, 5 chpaters already! Lookit me and my all- mighty writing self; I'm COOOL!!! The hamster's tell me secret and feed me stolen cheddar cheese, I'm so lucky! And I got sporks and Invader Zim on DVD for graduation!  
  
In other good news, I got my friend totally hooked on Zim. MWAHAHAHAAA, FEAR MY SKILLS OF PERSUASIVENESS!!! Acutually, I just had her sit down and watch an episode with my other friends at my graduation party, and she was all for it, but, um, oh well. SPORKS!!  
  
Kudos always go out to SwEeTiNsAnItY, who's insane ways and helpful comments help me to move along. Anyonw who hasn't read her story yet shall face the horrible wrath of Kichara, which involves sporks, angry toilets, and marathons of the Teletubbies and Barney (the horror, the horror.) Check it out on my favorite stories! And she'd better update soon or face my horrible wrath herself!  
  
Hey, Almasy and Psyche, glad to have you aboard on the Kichara Express! Woohoo!! I get to be the caboose! Celelorien gets kudos cuz she's cool and wrote me a looong review. I love long reviews, cuz they always either full of compliments or nonsense. Yay! SM, yay flamethrowers! Woohoo!! Okay, well that's it for now. Thanks again! Oh, and glad you all liked the poem… heh heh heh…  
  
  
  
"Alright, organisms, keep it moving. We don't need to be clogging up the hall's air with our carbon dioxide." Mr. Zella ordered, keeping his class moving along.  
  
They were trudging down the desolate hall to the library, where they were to start research on the subjects they'd picked, telling Mr. Zella the topic as they handed in their Kubla Khan compositions. Dib blushed a bit as he remembered his trouble in forming the paper the previous night. Zim, who was walking alongside of him, noticed and narrowed one eye in the Irken equivalent to raising an eyebrow. The body of people made it to the library doors, passing through them as Mr. Zella held one open, watching them all closely.  
  
"I'm gonna go see if I can find anything in the reference section, okay?" Dib said, indicating to the shelves of dusty books.  
  
Zim nodded, heading over to a computer, sitting down and starting up the internet.  
  
The library was a refuge for all students in the school, a santuary where all groups came together to practice the fine art of skipping. And with only an ancient, wizened woman who'd lost all interest in life known as the librarian as their only supervisor, it was more than easy. Nerds, preps, goths and all the people that fit in between would crowd in between the tiny aisles of musty books to form tiny circles of people, or fill up the old creaky tables, laughing and talking as the hag hid in her office. It was hardly even used as a library now, it's main career being in helping reluctant students to escape from their school life.  
  
Zim, who'd been working furiously on the computer for about twenty minutes sat back to glare fiercely at it. When the piece of machinery refused to burst into flames, he stalked off in search of Dib. He found the boy leaning against the encyclopedia shelf, book open on his knees as he flipped through it. He looked up at Zim as the alien came up, crossing his arms and glaring down at his ex-rival. Dib blinked expectedly, waiting for the inevitable outburst that always came with that stance.  
  
"I CAN'T FIND ANYTHING!!!"  
  
Dib bit his lip, searching for something to say. He had a bit of trouble coming up with encouraging words, however, as he himself had found...squat. It was a bit depressing. He looked at the huge pile of books next to him that he'd already gone through as if they could give him an answer to Zim, since they hadn't been able to help him with their project.  
  
As the paranormalist was pondering over what to say in consolation to his irate partner, Mr. Zella walked up. "Is there a problem, boys?"  
  
"Yessss, there is!" Zim raised his voice again almost to a yell, and several people looked over in their direction. Dib winced internally, watching as his partner turned to place his fierce glare on their teacher. "This horrendous partner you have paired me with decided on this HIDEOUS topic, and there isn't any reasearch to be found about it!"  
  
Mr. Zella's expression stayed neutral, changing slightly as he raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? I'll bet there are plenty of resources out there, you just can't find them."  
  
"LIES! YOU TELL LIIIIIES!!!" Zim voice rose to a shriek as he uncrossed his arms and waved them frantically to fully express his point.  
  
The older man remained passive, then smirked at the green boy. "Willing to bet on that?"  
  
"Um, Zim..." Dib said from his spot on the floor, trying to get the alien under control before he did something stupid. Dib was feeling a little nervous about the whole situation that was taking place. The look on Mr. Zella's face wasn't helping.  
  
"SILENCE, MIS-GUIDING EARTH MONKEY!!" Zim swiveled his torso around to quiet Dib, then turned back to lock eyes with their teacher. "I am more than ready to take your bet on account of the absurd-ness of this situation."  
  
Dib sighed softly. Too late.  
  
"Alright then. My bet is that I can find, let's say...10 resources on Oxford College in...five minutes. If I can't, you boys can change your subject. If not, I get...your soul."  
  
Dib blinked, wide-eyed on the floor as he watched the teacher's lips curl into a smirk. 'Okay, that's just...creepy.' He shuddered slightly.  
  
Zim's lips curved up into a defiant smirk. "That's just fine, as I realize how impossible it is to find actually sources on this horrible subject." Dib groaned as he pushed himself off of the floor, following his teacher and partner over to Zim's computer, where Mr. Zella sat down. The alien stood off to the side, folding his arms again and smirk never faltering. His arrogant gaze found Dib's worried one, and the human sighed, shifting from foot to foot nervously as Mr. Zella pounded away on the keyboard. Okay, so maybe Zim had become more mature, but he still had that ego the size of a small planet that came out from time to time, making him quite childish. Maybe, but he was certainly cute when he did so.  
  
Dib blinked, letting his eyes wander over the students littered about the library to try and forget his last thought. 'It's not like it's going to do you any good.' He scolded himself as his eyes scanned over the group of gossiping girls that were taking up a table, make-up strewn across the surface. As they applied the face paint and giggled, a group of big-muscled guys in the table beside them did their best to laugh raucously, trying to show off without being too obvious, in hopes of getting the girls' attention. Dib's honey-colored eyes continued to roam, passing over the weird kid who ate crayon's for a living, to a pair of punk girls sitting cross-legged in the biography aisle, to the school's best-known stalker, a guy named James, who was currently slinking along the perimeter of the library, eyeing everyone closely. Oh, the poeple that made the school what it was...  
  
"DONE!" A triumphant voice at Dib's side made him blink in confusion, turning to see Mr. Zella, whose smirk was wider than usual. "10 in four and a half minutes! You know, that's actually surpassing my original bet plan, so maybe you should owe me. However, I'll let it pass, since the prize is so high anyway." He said generously, swiveling his chair around to stare into Zim's stunned face. "I believe you have a soul to give me." The teacher reached into his pocket, pulling out an index card and a pen, and handing them to the Irken. "Write your name on it."  
  
Zim was frozen for a long moment before he finally looked down at the white piece of thick paper in his claws. He pressed the pen to it and scribbled down the three letters, brow furrowing. Mr. Zella snatched it back, standing up and offering Zim's chair back to him. "Thanks so much. I'll see you two later. By the way, there are 50 note cards due by next Tuesday, so I'd imagine you two should get cracking." He strode away, whistling cheerfully.  
  
The Irken plopped down heavily into the chair, which let out a loud creak in protest. He turned to look at Dib, whose mouth was dropped slightly in a perfect 'O' as he watched Mr. Zella retreat to hover over another set of partners, who were sitting together at a table with a tall stack of books between them. "Um.." Dib began, unsure of exactly what he should he say in response to the rather...unusual event that had just taken place. Especially since it was partially his fault.  
  
The alien merely sighed, clicking on a window to print out the information as he simply remarked, "As you said, Dib-human, why do we always get stuck with the weird teachers?"  
  
Dib chuckled, relieved, if anything, that Zim wasn't ready to strangle him. "You've got me."  
  
***  
  
In the far corner of the consecrated place known commonly as the library, a small group of gothic people were sitting at a rickety table. They sat quietly talking to each other, all except for one, who was too engaged in her video game to care. Gaz's hair hadn't changed much since elementary school, still in a short cut that framed her pale face, the only difference now being in the streaks of darker violet that ran through it. The others at the table could be called her friends, although the more appropriate name for them would be worshippers. Not that she minded or anything. It was certainly amusing to have a small group of people following her around, catering to her every whim as if she were some sort of dark goddess. It suited her fine, just as long as they stayed out of her light.  
  
The peculiar arrangement had been in motion for almost two years now, she mused to herself, remembering how they'd all come to her, one by one, drawn for unknown reasons to the slender girl hunched over her Gameslave that sat by herself, eyes squinted down to her beloved system and ignoring the world around her. And it was almost nice; there was always someone to talk to when she actually felt the need to play human, someone to go out with or just 'chill'. Hard as it was to admit to herself, she felt sorry that her older brother didn't have those same options.  
  
His moving out had affected Gaz more than she let on. It really wasn't all that great, being alone all the time in the empty house without Dib's chatter. So maybe it had been annoying, but…he was still her brother,. She felt a slight twinge of guilt that she hadn't really talked to him since he'd moved out.  
  
And the voice that she'd been absent-mindedly been missing suddenly cut through her thick hair to pierce her ears, and she opened her brown eyes to see Dib sitting across the library with Zim. The two were talking intently, their elbows almost touching as they conversed. It actually made Gaz blink. 'Well well, what's going on here?' A little smile managed to creep onto her face and she turned back to her game to hide it.  
  
***  
  
"I can't believe I let you talk me into having this horrible topic." Zim said, sifting through the printed out papers on the table and separating them.  
  
"Well, sorry for the millionth time! I thought it was going to be easy."  
  
"Noooo, easy is the Martial Arts Vegetables one. And they already have 15 sources on The Existence of God in a Universe without Yogurt!"  
  
Dib sunk down into his chair, cheeks burning in embarrassment as he highlighted a sentence on one of the papers. "You know, this is the only day we're going to have to work on this in class. We're gonna have to, um, meet on our own time to work on the paper."  
  
Zim blinked, looking surprised before he slowly answered. "Yes, that seems like the reasonable idea."  
  
"Uh, so…Why don't we go to the public library tomorrow after school?"  
  
"Fine, then I'll…see you at your locker, and we can walk there together."  
  
Dib's mouth turned upwards in a huge grin before he could stop it, and he felt his heart race at the thought of spending the next afternoon with Zim.  
  
***  
  
Whoa, this chapter was short! Sorry, but I can't think of anything more to add. And more sorries for not having this done sooner, I had a ton of things going on. Blah, blah, blah, like anybody cares. WELL YOU SHOULD AT LEAST ACT LIKE YOU DO!!  
  
Little bit of spookiness for you to consider. The whole thing with the index card really did happen to my friend Lindsey last year. Mr. Zella still proudly displays her soul on it's lined, white bit of paper. 


	6. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Relish I...

Love is Weird But It Makes You Feel All Warm and Tingly Inside!!  
  
1 By: Kichara  
  
2 Chapter 6  
  
3 Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Relish Ice Cream  
  
Hey everybody!! Man, over 80 reviews! Woohoo!! I gotta say, it's definitely a booster for my ego. ^^ I really appreciate everyone who likes how slow I'm moving the story along, and for everyone who wants that lemon (Bonnie, you bad, bad girl….You so cool!), IT'LL COME!! I just need to get this whole PLOT thing over and done with first. ^^  
  
*****  
  
"Um, I'll have a butter pecan cone." Dib said, looking down from the menu above his head to the bored expression on the cashier's face behind the counter of the fast food place.  
  
"Uh-huh. And you?" She directed her lazy gaze towards Zim.  
  
"Chocolate chip cookie dough." The alien answered, raising a brow as he watched the blonde punch a couple of buttons on the cash register.  
  
"It'll be ready in a minute." She said as the boys handed her the money for their food.  
  
Dib slid over to the waiting section of the counter, watching Zim walk over to stand next to him. A perky red-head came up to them from the back, looking much more enthusiastic than her co-worker as she handed them their ice creams with a chipper, "Thanks, have a nice day!" then bounced back to the kitchen.  
  
Zim nodded in response, heading over to the condiment stand with Dib close behind.  
  
"Well, we're almost done!" The human grinned.  
  
"With the harrowing experience of the research paper?" Zim asked, taking a couple of relish packets and carefully spreading their contents on top of his ice cream.  
  
Dib winced at the sight of the green condiment sliding onto the creamy surface of the ice cream. "Yeah, just a couple of finishing touches and it'll be ready to turn in on Wednesday! I know I'll be more than happy when this is all done and over with."  
  
The Irken threw away the empty packets and walked out of the fast food restaurant with his partner. "I can't say I can disagree with that point. This has been, how would you humans say it…hell?" Dib chuckled, licking at his cone as Zim continued. "But…I have to say that the hard work was much more bearable with you as a partner."  
  
Dib's eyes widened in response to this and he looked over at Zim, who was intently chowing down on his icy treat. A compliment; he'd been getting a lot of those, every once in a while, for the past couple of weeks. Thrown in with the jibing insults and playful retorts, they were always accompanied by a faint blush on Zim's face. It made Dib wonder.  
  
The time together, working like animals on their paper for the past couple of weeks, had brought the two of them quite close. A definite for friends, and Dib was beginning to have glancing hopes for…something else. He'd had them before, but they seemed more real now. Those blushes certainly gave him encouragement. The young man looked over at his companion, who was happily munching on his relish-smothered ice cream.  
  
Dib grimaced. "How can you eat that?"  
  
Zim narrowed an eye. "With my mouth. Anyway, you eat bologna, and Irk only knows what's in that."  
  
Dib sighed in defeat, chuckling nonetheless. "No, I mean, doesn't that taste gross? It sure looks like it."  
  
"It's too sweet without the relish. It balances it out. Besides, it reminds me of something I liked to eat on Irk." Zim's smug look faded and he gazed down at the ground, growing quiet.  
  
"Really? Is there anything else you miss?"  
  
"The sunrises." The alien looked up to gaze directly into Dib's honey- colored eyes with a little smile. "They were so incredible, all those pinks and greens and blues. It's nothing like your Earth sunrises, the atmospheres are too different."  
  
Dib smiled slightly at the softened, faraway look on Zim's face, and felt his heart give a little leap at the sight. "Well, um, I bet we'll get an 'A' on this project; We've worked so hard on it!" Dib said, deciding to go back to the ever-safe topic of their report.  
  
"We'd better." Zim's face hardened slightly, looking more normal now.  
  
"And then we can get your soul back!" The human cheered, grinning.  
  
"Are you STILL going on about that? It's just an index card, Dib-worm." Zim managed to keep his tone exasperated, carefully covering up the affection lying hidden underneath it.  
  
"Of course I am! Just the idea of someone else having your soul! And we'll get it back!" He struck a dramatic pose, transferring ice cream so that he could lift his right pointer finger to the heavens above.  
  
Zim hid his smile in his cone, nibbling on the waffle edge, Dib's speech bringing back the recent memories involving his 'soul'. The human had gone on and on about the injustice of Zim's losing of his soul, and had promised to get it back. He'd gone up to their twisted teacher after class one day to demand that a deal be made to win it back. Mr. Zella had tilted his head to the side, a finger placed thoughtfully on his jaw before he'd answered that if the two were to get an 'A' on their report, that Zim could have it back. The two had walked to lunch after, Dib's triumphant look missing Zim's blush and warm eyes.  
  
//Could there be something?// As much as Zim enjoyed Dib as a friend, it only fed his silent obsession for the other when the two of them were so close.  
  
But there were times, when Dib's honey-colored eyes would fix on his, or his pale skin would redden to that adorable blush, and Zim would momentarily forget to breathe. It was delightful torture. At that very moment, the Irken was making sure to keep his free hand buried deep in his pocket so that it wouldn't itch with the urge to grab Dib's.  
  
Dib munched on his cone, eyes flashing over to Zim before quickly looking forward again. He always had to make sure that his eyes never lingered for too long, lest Zim become suspicious. As much as he wished for something more, he was more terrified than ever to make a move, fearful that he would lose the only friend he'd ever really had.  
  
They were almost to Zim's house now. This was going to be Dib's sixth time, going to work on their project with Zim, and Dib felt more than honored that the other trusted him enough to do so. And it wasn't as though they needed to go to Zim's base, as they could always go work at the library or Dib's apartment. At the moment, all that needed to be done was a few minor touches, and everything would be set.  
  
Zim turned and walked past the lawn gnomes to his front door with Dib close behind. Zim held the door open for him, closing it after he'd entered.  
  
"HIIIII!!!!!!!!!" A little green blur launched itself at Dib, latching onto his chest in a fierce hug. "Did you miss me?!"  
  
"Um…maybe." Dib detangled the hyperactive robot from himself, letting it drop to the ground. "Here, you want my ice cream?" He offered the bit of cone that was left, hoping it would distract the robot long enough to forget about him.  
  
"YAY, brain numbies!!" GIR exclaimed gleefully, snatching the dessert from Dib and bounding to the couch to eat it.  
  
Zim motioned for Dib to follow him to the kitchen. The young man did so, not making any quick motions so he could avoid the demented SIR's attention. "Here." Zim said as Dib walked in, indicating the tile he was standing on. The human went to stand with him on it, forgetting to breathe as their arms brushed against each other from being so close. The moment was short-lived, however, as the elevator activated and sent them down with a flourish.  
  
The room they stopped at was a familiar one, as it was where they'd been working on their project. It was simple enough, just a computer and a table with two chairs, as well as a few shelves where Zim had put all of their research together.  
  
"Computer, activate report file." Zim commanded, watching as the wall-sized screen came to life at his words.  
  
Dib dumped his bookbag on one of the chairs, unzipped it and pulled out a couple of papers, watching as Zim took a seat at the computer console. The human pulled up the table's other chair to sit next to Zim, handing him the papers.  
  
"You want me to do something?" Dib asked, watching Zim's claw-like hands dash over the keys.  
  
"No, no. You made all the corrections, now I just need to put them in, and we'll be finished."  
  
Perfect. A few minutes of Zim-watching, then. //Just so long as he doesn't notice and get irritated.// Dib thought, eyes wistfully tracing over the alien's profile.  
  
//He's watching me again. He does it so much.//  
  
//Does he have any idea how I feel about him?//  
  
//Does he have any idea what he does to me?//  
  
//God, I could watch him forever.//  
  
//Does he have an idea how deep my feelings run? And concept at all?//  
  
//Could I ever tell him how I really feel? But what if I lose him for it?//  
  
//He's still watching me. But, there's no malice, no hurt, but…// Zim quickly turned his head to gaze directly into Dib's golden eyes. The boy's face flushed, turning a rosy pink. //What? IS there something there? Or am I just imagining things so that I won't feel so…alone?// The Irken tilted his head to the side. " I'm finished."  
  
"Good. That's great. Ready to print it out?" Dib asked, silently begging for the crimson color to vanish from his skin.  
  
Zim nodded in response, pressing a button on the console. A beep sounded in response, and several sheets slipped out of the wall, neatly landing in a tray below. Dib stood up, grateful for something to do while he let the cool recycled air chill his face, and brought them over to the table. He pulled a new folder from his knapsack and carefully secured the papers in it.  
  
"Well, I guess I should get going then. I've got to go do my other homework."  
  
Zim nodded, standing up and heading over to the elevator with Dib. "I'll walk you out."  
  
The ride up was as quick as ever and soon enough Dib was out the front door, waving back to Zim. "I'll see you tomorrow!" He called, turning out of the yard.  
  
Zim waved in response, a little smile perking at his lips as he shut the door.  
  
Dib shifted his bookbag on his shoulders, looking up at the sky. //Looks like it might rain again.//  
  
"Dib."  
  
The boy visibly jumped, looking around quickly for the source that had spoken his name. He found it to be a slender young woman in the alley beside him, black-clad arms folded over each other.  
  
"Gaz?" He asked in disbelief. He hadn't spoken to his sister since…since before he'd moved out, Dib realized.  
  
A smirk formed on her lips and the gothic girl nodded, moving out of the alley way to walk alongside her brother.  
  
"How are things?" She asked.  
  
Dib blinked before answering. "Fine, I guess."  
  
"Hmmm…" She looked down at the sidewalk thoughtfully. "How fine?"  
  
The young man turned his head to gaze intently into his sister's pale face. "Gaz, what's this all about?"  
  
She neatly entwined her fingers at the small of her back. "I suppose the only way to go on with this is to be mature about it… Dib, I'm sorry I haven't talked to you, and I'm sorry that I was probably part of the reason that you moved out. I'm not too good with handling social interactions, which is about to be proven in how you're about to use up your quota for me to play human with you for the month, so I'll make this quick."  
  
Once again, Dib's golden eyes closed in a blink. Then a long stare followed before he could compose himself enough to give a decent response. "Gaz…what're you talking about?"  
  
"Zim."  
  
A blush started on Dib's cheeks before he could stop it. "What about him?"  
  
"You tell me." She said, smirk growing.  
  
"Um, Gaz…I don't know what you want me to say, uh, really…"  
  
She opened her eyes to stare directly into pupils that were the same amber color as hers. "No idea whatsoever?"  
  
Dib's blush burned brighter and he silently cursed. "Gaz…"  
  
His sister's smirk grew even wider as she remarked, "Don't worry about telling me now. You can tell me whenever you get the guts to do so. Anyway, here you are."  
  
Dib looked up, surprised to see them standing outside the lobby doors of his apartment complex. Gaz turned away, twisting and opening her eyes to stare directly into her brother's again before she said, "Just do what you feel like you should.", before walking away with a gust of wind and leaves.  
  
***  
  
Zim slid an audio CD into his wall, waiting for the rock music to click on, flooding his room with it's harsh sounds. He smiled and stretched languidly, then pulled off his black shirt and tossed into the chute in the corner. He did the same with his pants and finished, flopped down onto his bed, closing his eyes as he relaxed to the music. This had become a daily ritual for him at the end of the day, to lie back in his bed before going to sleep and relax to rock music.  
  
The choice to become what was called goth, punk, whatever one wanted to classify it as, hadn't been a sudden thing. It had started with the basic fact that he'd realized just how good he looked wearing black, how it looked on his pale green skin and accented his black hair. But research and observation had shown him that goth's were…respected, more or less. People gave them space, let them be. Zim had wanted SOME kind of respect for such a long time, and it was a lot easier to achieve this when people were fearfully looking at you because you were dressed in the colors of the night.  
  
Besides, Zim loved the music. The proud, pulsing screeches and meaningful lyrics gave him something to relate to, one of the few ways he could actually have something to do with the planet that was now his own, whether he wanted it or not.  
  
Zim sighed deeply, forcing himself from those thoughts and onto something more pleasant, a something that had the tendency to pop into his thoughts, whether he wanted it or not. Actually, more of a HIM than an it. Dib.  
  
The human seemed like he was more of a burden to Zim's health than good, keeping the alien up at late hours and depriving him of the sleep his body needed so badly. But sometimes, the thought of times with Dib, past and hoped future, were what got Zim to sleep, sprawled across his bed with a little smile on his lips brought by the thoughts and memories of the human that Zim…cared for. Was there a word for it?  
  
The Irken's antennae twitched, out of both confusion and somewhat irritation from his lack of knowledge in the matter. He yawned widely and scratched lightly behind one of the antennae. Kicking down the covers, he pulled them back up to his waist, then reached over to press a button on his nightstand to shut out the lights. He rolled to his side, thinking about how much he'd like it if he could have Dib right there with him, wrapped up in his arms.  
  
*****  
  
God, I really loved this chapter. So much happened in it that I've been wanting to do. And you know what I realized? This story is nothing but fluff! Christ, where's the drama? Oh well, next story will have it. No, wait…I dunno. We Shall See. *dum dum duuuum*  
  
God, thanks so much for all the support, it really is what gets me going these days and it somewhat helps to keep the little bit of sanity I've retained over the years. So, ArmandLeg, do you like where I went with Gaz (wait a sec, I didn't go anywhere with her, and I prolly wouldn't want to, she's even more scary than me!). Moonlady, well actually, my friend had to do it, and I guess she was just looking in all the wrong places, cuz she said she couldn't find anything. Ohhh well. Thanks go out to Dib's Savior, Spryt, invader-jazz, God Hates Me, Sonikku Senshi (I'm glad you like my story so much!), Insanity x2, Amethyst Soul, PoisonTears(Wow, you use such big words, I love your review! *sniff, sniff* *cries with tears of happiness and huggles review tightly*), Celelorien, InvaderJen 320, MiracleChick, Bugsygurl16, Karakuri Ninja Girl, Alex Destine (God, it's reviews like yours that keep me going, thanks), tenshimagic, and moo (The review amuses me so….). Thanks again, everybody! *gives them all sporks and disfigured lumpy kittens* 


	7. Answering Stupid Questions for Some Pizz...

Love is Weird But It Makes You Feel All Warm and Tingly Inside!!  
  
By: Kichara  
  
Chapter 7: Answering Stupid Questions for Some Pizza A little note before I go into things: FANFICTION.NET IS EEEEVIL, I'VE HAD THIS CHAPTER DONE FOR A LOOOONG TIME! I've been wanting to sacrifice it on an alter to my mongoose to make my self feel better, but I couldn't get a hold of some gummi worms, a cow, and curdled milk that had been sitiing in direct monnlight for 69 days.  
  
Hey, here I am again! Yay for me! Ooo, and I just found out something! My friend Mike has a scanner! Woohoo! Now I just need to figure out how to make a webpage. Anyway, this is good news for you all because it means I can finally get out my fanart. Problem now is: I don't really have too much. O.o Please don't hurt me, I've been busy, really! Have you any idea how hard it is just to get these chapters out as fast as I do? Besides that, all of my art skills have been going towards this art scholarship that's due at the end of the month. Whew!  
  
*~*~*~ Zim raised an eyebrow at Dib, who seemed to be shimmering with some sort of light as they walked down the hallway. They'd just gotten their grades for their reports and proof of their accomplishment of the feat was in Zim's hand, a battered index card with his name on it. He chuckled lightly to himself, looking back at Dib's triumphant look. The boy was too starry-eyed to notice the school's doors and would have walked into them if Zim didn't grab his shirt, then opened one of them for him.  
  
The human broke out of his victorious state of mind at the fierce tug on his shirt and came back to the world to see Zim, one hand wrapped in his shirt and the other holding open the door. "What's wrong?"  
  
"You almost walked into the doors!" Zim exclaimed, letting Dib's shirt go and letting the door shut as the other walked through them.  
  
"Really? I didn't notice." Dib said, looking back at the doors, confused.  
  
The Irken laughed again, softly. "Maybe you would if your gigantic head wasn't in the clouds."  
  
"Hey, it's not gigantic! I think I've grown into it pretty good." Dib said, hands pressing against the sides of his skull to check it.  
  
"So you're admitting to having a big head before, then?" Zim smirked.  
  
"Ohhhh, shut up!" He threw a mock punch at Zim, hitting him lightly in the arm.  
  
The alien laughed again, in a very good mood from second-hand experiencing Dib's triumph, and the basic fact that he was with him. "So, what do you want to go do now?"  
  
Dib shrugged, smiling. "I'm not sure. I do want to do something to celebrate us getting an 'A' on the report and getting your soul back, though."  
  
The other tilted his head thoughtfully. "Like what, Dib-human?"  
  
"Um, I really.have no idea." His apartment complex came into view, and Dib realized that Zim had been walking him home. "But I think we should do something."  
  
"I believe we've already established that." Zim said with an amused smile as he tucked his index card into a pocket in his tight black jeans. "I'm really not too sure as to what you're talking about, so I'll let you figure it out." They walked up the sidewalk to Dib's home and Zim held open the door for him. "I'll see you later."  
  
The young man smiled in return, giving a little wave. "Alright, bye. I'll think it over and tell you what I can come up with." Zim nodded, letting the door shut and then walking away.  
  
Later that evening, Dib was in the kitchen, rummaging through his fridge, looking for some dinner. Actually, he'd LIKE to be rummaging, but there really weren't enough items in there to rummage through. Sighing as he pushed the door shut with his hip, he headed over to the food cabinets, looking through them for something to satisfy his hunger. "Man, I REALLY need to go to the store." He admonished, shutting the cupboards after finding nothing in them really worth dinner. He glanced at the clock, and deciding it was too late to go to the grocery store, reached for the phone and the thick phone book underneath it.  
  
While he didn't order out all the time, it was a luxury he could afford every once in a while, Dib mused as he flipped through the pages. He actually had a lot of money, left to him by his mother, which was why he was able to have an apartment without keeping a job. And he was set for college, as he'd already been admitted to the near-by state college and, since he'd had good grades throughout his entire school life, he was all set with a scholarship that would pay his through school.  
  
'It pays to be smart.' He thought with a smirk as he found the pizza section of the Yellow Pages. Turning on the phone, he called up one of the numbers, setting the heavy book back on the counter as he sat up next to it.  
  
"Hello!"  
  
"Um, hi." Dib raised an eyebrow as the person on the other line greeted them with a chipper tone. Pizza people usually weren't all THAT happy to be answering the phone.  
  
"Hello, sir. Could you answer a couple of questions for us before we take care of business for you?"  
  
"Okay, sure." He pushed himself further back onto the counter, leaning against the cabinets as he waited for the other to continue.  
  
"Alright, first. What is two pieces of bread with meats, cheese and condiments between them?"  
  
Dib's other eyebrow rose to join it's twin. "A sandwich?"  
  
"Yes, that's right! Absolutely! Now, at what time of the day does the sun come up?"  
  
"Morning?" Dib blinked, wondering what kind of pizza place this was exactly.  
  
"Alright, and now, for the last question, can you tell us.What color are oranges?!"  
  
"Uh, orange."  
  
"Thanks so much for those answers! You're a winner!"  
  
"Um, do you guys always make people answer stupid questions just to get some pizza?"  
  
"Pizza? Is that why you called?"  
  
"Uh, yeah."  
  
The man on the other line laughed. "Well, you got something better than pizza, I have to say! You've just won two tickets to Untitled's concert, which is on Thursday at the arena!"  
  
Dib blinked, the name sounding familiar. "Wow, really?"  
  
"Yes, that's right sir. Now what's your name?"  
  
"Dib, Dib Membrane."  
  
"Well, glad to give you the tickets, Mister Membrane. You can come pick them up anytime at our office on 13th street."  
  
"Really? Can I come pick them up now? Could you tell me where exactly you are?"  
  
"Of course, our address is 777 13th street, by the Disfigured Kittens and Fritos Store. We'll see you in a little while, Dib, and thanks for calling 106.8, the only station for your hard-core listening needs!" The DJ hung up, leaving Dib to do the same.  
  
Forgetting dinner, the young man went to go grab his boots and jacket.  
  
*** The doorbell rang. Zim looked over from where he was standing in the kitchen, surveying the damage done by Gir after the robot had decided to have a tea party/ rave with his pig. The alien walked over to the door, opening it to find a triumphant Dib standing there, wide grin plastered on his face. Zim opened the door all the way, leaning against the frame. "What is it, Dib?" He asked, curious about the other's expression.  
  
"I figured out what we can do to celebrate!"  
  
Zim raised an eyebrow. "Hm?"  
  
Dib reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope. "Guess what I got!"  
  
The Irken smiled, deeply amused. "What?"  
  
"Tickets to go see Untitled on Thursday!"  
  
Zim straightened, eyes widening in response. "You must be joking!"  
  
Dib grinned, pleased with Zim's reaction. "Nu-uh, see?" He handed the envelope to the Irken.  
  
Zim opened the envelope, looking at the tickets inside. "How did you manage to obtain them?" He asked, carefully placing the pieces of glossy paper back inside and handing the envelope to Dib.  
  
Dib chuckled. "Well, I was calling out for pizza, but accidentally called up a radio station instead and won them because I was the right caller for a contest they were having. I thought the name sounded familiar, and when I found out the station was rock music, I figured you knew who they were."  
  
Zim nodded in agreement. "I do; In fact, I've been trying to get to go to one of their concerts for a long while."  
  
"Well, now's your chance!"  
  
The green-skinned youth leaned back against the doorframe, folding his arms. "You've never been to a rock concert before, have you Dib?"  
  
"Um, no. Actually, I haven't been to any concerts before; This'll be my first. Why?"  
  
Zim smirked. "You should buy something for it. Your clothes don't match the attire, especially for an Untitled concert. Go check out Hot Topic at the mall."  
  
The human blinked, then shrugged. "Alright, I'll go tomorrow. The concert starts at 7, so when do you think we should leave?"  
  
Zim raised his eyes, thinking. "We should probably get on the bus at about 5 or so. Make sure to eat something before you go."  
  
He smiled in response. "Okay, I will. I'll see you later, Zim. I've gotta go pick up something to eat on the way home, okay?"  
  
The other glanced at the darkening sky. "Alright. But do you want me to walk you there? It's getting late."  
  
Dib shook his head, glad that Zim cared. "That's okay, I'll hurry. Bye, see you tomorrow!" He headed out of the yard at a slight jog for Zim to wave at him and watch until the other was out of sight before closing the door.  
  
*** Dib looked up at the red letters spelling out the name of his destination for a second before venturing inside Hot Topic. The store was small, but crammed full of stuff from top to bottom. Goths and punks narrowly missed each other as they slipped through the tiny aisles made up of black clothes and heavy silver jewelry.  
  
"HIIIIIII!!!!!!!!" That voice was too familiar to be of comfort. Wincing, Dib looked down to see Gir in his dog suit.  
  
"What're you doing here?!"  
  
"I needed some lip gloss." The Sir said in a serious tone before grabbing onto Dib's leg in a death grip. "I love you, ankle!"  
  
"Quit that!" Dib snapped, shaking the robot off and going to look through a rack of clothes. He found a pair of pants in his size and was looking for a shirt when.  
  
"Ooooo, what's this?"  
  
"Hey don't touch that!"  
  
"Whyyyyy not?"  
  
"Hey, stop it!"  
  
A crash sounded from somewhere in the store and Gir bounded up to Dib, head titled up towards him. "I want tacos!"  
  
"Will you go back to Zim's house if I get you some?" The boy sighed, wanting to get Gir home before he broke something and Dib would have to pay for it, as he was with him.  
  
The robot titled his head and waited a moment before answering. "Ooookey- dokie! But we gotta go now! Now, before the froggies get them! C'mon!" He tugged impatiently on Dib's pant leg, attempting to drag the human off.  
  
"Okay, okay, wait a second!" Dib hurried over to the cash register, quickly paid for the clothes and followed the hyperactive SIR unit to the food court. *~*~*~  
  
Whoa, this chapter was short, sorry! I really didn't like it all that much, but it had to be made. Plus, I wanted to get a bit more Gir in here. God, I love Hot Topic. I actually went there today, and I got a Zim purse. I loves it much. ^^ That, and I got a bumper sticker that says "I Poke Badgers With Spoons". I have a Zim/ Dib picture done! Yeah! I'm so proud of it, and it's all colorful cuz I colored it with acrylics. I'm going to do everything I can to get it scanned and sent to Niko's page so that I can put it up on there. I'm also in the process of a picture for next chapter. ^^ Ohhhh, you'll love it. I do already!  
  
Many congrats to Hitari, you're both my 100th and 101st reviewer! Yay for you, here you get a peanut. And the reason the kittens are disfigured is cuz they were dropped many times as wee kittens. And much love goes out to SwEeTiNsAnItY, thank you for finally updating! I was going through Cheryl- withdraw ('tis quite scary, I can assure you.) You're my 99th reviewer! I can't believe I've got a 100 now, I never would have thought I got this far. Oooo, I wonder what'll happen when actual physical contact starts happening? *gleeful look* 


	8. The Nice People of the Mosh Pit

Love is Weird, But It Makes You Feel All Warm and Tingly Inside!!  
  
By: Kichara Chapter 8: The Nice People of the Mosh Pit  
  
Man, I'm on a roll here! I've been looking forward to writing this chapter for a while now, so hopefully it'll come out as good as I'd hoped. Ohhh, how I've looked forward to this chapter.I cannot even be PERCIEVED just how greatly I have looked forward to it. I like cheese and Jhonen Vasquez is pretty damned hot. And I'm gonna kill Nickelodeon. Oooo, ooo, guess what I found out! Jhonen-sama does some voices in the show; he's Brian, OldKid, Zim's computer and other's! *cackles maniacally until she's suddenly attacked by a vicious gerbil who's after her precious biscuits*  
  
Sweet cheezits, that intro made noooo sense at all.  
  
*~*~*~ Zim's eyes darted over to the clock, checking it, then over to the small mirror in the kitchen. He finger-combed his uneven bangs and adjusted his black shirt nervously. This was something so different from anything he'd done with Dib before. To be truthful, he hadn't done anything like this with ANYONE before. Maybe that was why he was having trouble breathing and he was terribly fidgety.  
  
Gir, who was sitting on the table, grinned suddenly. "Dib got me tacos!" He exclaimed in a high-pitched tone, grabbing a hold of his legs and twirling around on his rear end, giggling madly.  
  
"Yes, Gir, I know." His master half-growled, irritated. It had been the highlight of the robot's life for the past two days and he was more than happy to share the bit of information. Repeatedly.  
  
The doorbell rang and Zim rushed to go open the door, nervously fixing his shirt again before doing so. What he saw was enough to make him laugh until he cried and throw his arms around Dib in an affectionate hug, all at the same time.  
  
The human was dressed in a black, almost Renaissance-style shirt, loose sleeved and laced up across the chest over a long V-neck whose intent was to expose the chest. Which Dib obviously didn't get. The strings had been pulled all the way, closing up the gap and making the shirt look unbearably tight, with it all tied into a big bow at the top.  
  
Zim laughed. Dib blushed and in an attempt to hide his embarrassment, snapped, "What's so funny?"  
  
The alien beckoned him into the house, closing the door after him. "You did it wrong." He explained with a chuckle, reaching up and untying the bow, claw-like hands reaching down to loosen the strings tied across the gap over Dib's chest.  
  
The human forced himself to stifle the gasp he released as Zim's hands brushed against his chest and he decided it was best to keep his breath held while the other fixed his shirt, loosening it around the waist and tying the strings properly. As he stepped back to look Dib over the boy let out a protest, "But you can see my chest!"  
  
Zim laughed again, a gentle thing thick with affection. "That's how it's supposed to be, Dib. Didn't you think it was awfully tight on you?"  
  
"Um, well, yeah.But I really don't know too much about this sorta stuff." He rubbed the back of his head subconsciously.  
  
"Let's get going." Zim smiled and reopened the door, letting Dib walk out first and then following him. "So, you don't know much about this sort of thing.What sort of music do you like, Dib?" He asked as they turned out onto the sidewalk.  
  
Dib shrugged in response. "You know, I'm really not into too much of any music. I listen to a little bit of everything, but not all that much."  
  
"Nothing?" He casually slid his hands into his pockets, fixing Dib with a quizzical gaze.  
  
"Nope, not really."  
  
Zim grinned, "Perhaps that will change tonight." They got to the bus stop and leaned up against the brick wall behind it together.  
  
He shrugged and smiled, loving the way Zim's face lit up when he did the same.  
  
"You ate right?" The alien asked, turning slightly to look at Dib.  
  
"Mm-hmm." The human answered, looking down thoughtfully at the ground. Zim's eyes scanned appreciatively over the other's slender figure. Even if Dib had gotten the shirt wrong, at first, he'd done a damned good job at picking out his pants, which were black and clung to his slim legs and waist, and he looked quite good now. He wore his usual black boots, which topped off the outfit perfectly.  
  
The bus pulled up with a loud screech then and the boys stepped inside, paying the fare and heading towards to back to take up an empty seat there, Dib at the window. Several minutes passed in comfortable silence before Zim broke it, wanting some conversation with his friend. "Dib-human."  
  
The boy in question turned from where he'd been thoughtfully gazing out the window. "Huh?"  
  
"Mmm." The green-skinned boy squirmed, trying to think of something to say. "Thank you, for the tickets. I think we're going to have a good time tonight."  
  
Dib smiled in response. "It was just a stroke of good luck, that's all. I'm glad it worked out." He paused, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Do you do this a lot?"  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"Go out to concerts. I mean, I know how much you like hard stuff and music and everything; I was just wondering how much you do it."  
  
"I go often; I like concerts. But I've never gone with someone else; I think it'll make it into a much more enjoyable experience than it already is."  
  
The boy shrugged slightly, "Thanks, I bet it'll be great." Dib looked back out the window, then up at the front of the bus, where there was a screen displaying the next stop. "Only a few more stops." He remarked, watching as Zim nodded in response. The comfortable silence took over again and Dib took the opportunity to look over his companion.  
  
Zim looked stunning, dressed in a pair of tight black pants and a simple black wifebeater that hugged his toned torso. The outfit was finished off with a silver studded leather belt, a spiked necklace, fighter's gloves and Zim's combat boots. Dib leaned back against the seat. Yep, quite nice. So very different from how he'd been when he'd first arrived on Earth. In more than one way.  
  
"Eh?" Zim quirked a brow, noticing Dib's intent gaze. "What is it?"  
  
Dib looked up to meet his eyes. "I was just thinking about how much you've changed since you first arrived on this planet."  
  
"How's that?"  
  
"Well, you're a lot more mature, for one."  
  
"So are you." The alien pointed out, tapping Dib's shoulder.  
  
"Plus, you managed to get rid of that ego the size of a small planet. It's nice to not have every sentence that comes out of your mouth be a compliment to yourself. It certainly makes it easier to be around you."  
  
Zim smiled, a bit of sadness creeping into the expression. "That sort of faded over the years, it had a lot to do with me maturing. But I guess it stopped altogether when the Tallest's told me what a loser I am."  
  
Dib blinked, reaching out to touch Zim's hand. "You're not a loser! At least.I don't think so." He noticed his hand's position and blushed. He pulled it back and went back to looking out the window, mostly trying to hide his crimson face.  
  
Zim noticed, however, and stared in wide-eyed curiosity for a long moment before directing his attention to the front of the bus.  
  
About twenty minutes later, the bus pulled up to the arena and the two exited, walking alongside each other. They gave their tickets to the person at the turnstile as they went in, who ripped them in half and handed their remains to Dib. The boy pocketed them and let Zim lead him to stand off to the side and out of the walkway.  
  
The building was already starting to fill up with people, a great mass of glittering silver and colors. Pitch black, bright orange, dark purple, and so much more; Dib's head swiveled back and forth as he took it all in. Leather and glitter; vivid dyed T-shirts with childish cartoons printed across the front; Jeans deliberately sliced open and held together with safety pins; feather boas and tin purses handing off of girls and a few choice male's shoulders. Black nail polish and eye shadow, short skirts and high boots. And for how anti-social people like this usually seemed to be, the place was a great bustle of excitement, laughter and conversation, playful screeching and yowling filling the air.  
  
"Wow." Zim looked over at Dib's face, with was a mixture of awe and surprise.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"There's so many people here, and they're all, I dunno.just unique, I guess is the word for it." Dib twisted, trying to take it all in. "You've gotta have respect for people that aren't afraid to be different." He said with a little smile as he watched a couple walk by arm and arm, the girl's hair more eccentric than her boyfriend's. "And they seem so different than you usually see them. You know, like in school, people like this are always so reserved."  
  
Zim shrugged. "In a place like this, everybody has similar tastes, ideas, hopes even. It makes it easy to be open and interact with those around you. It's a sort of bonding experience, I suppose." He smiled. "Ready to head inside?" He spread out his hand to one of the entrances to the main part of the arena and Dib nodded in response, following Zim closely through the throng of people to the open doors.  
  
The arena was dark, the only lights really coming from little lights lined along the floor and the stage, lit up with purple and blue illuminations. The seats were already starting to fill up, and the huge room was filled with voices that rose up, echoing against the high dome of a ceiling.  
  
"Where are our seats?" Zim asked, turning to his friend.  
  
The human carefully pulled the ticket stubs out of his pocket, finding it a bit difficult since the pants were so tight. He looked them over. "Um, 316 and 317."  
  
"Good, that's near the bottom. It'll make things easier." The Irken said, leading Dib down the staircase.  
  
"Huh? Make what easier?" Dib asked, taking the spot next to his companion as they descended.  
  
"In places like this, "Zim indicated the arena around them, "There's a designated place for the moshing and what-not."  
  
The young man raised an eyebrow. "What-not?"  
  
"Dancing, crowd surfing, you'll see." Zim said with a dismissive wave, turning his attention back down to the floor around the stage. "Anyway, it makes it harder to get down there, as only people with special tickets can be part of it. I always try to get them whenever it's in an arena or something, but if not, I'll just sneak down."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"That's the best place to be. Don't worry, I'll show you." Zim smiled warmly and Dib's stomach did a flip in response and he nodded. They went to go sit in their seats and were quiet, Dib busy watching everyone around them and Zim busy watching Dib, which he found to be much more interesting. Seven o'clock rolled around fast enough. The doors shut, blocking off the little beacons of light they'd been letting in. A great hush ran through the immense building, full with people now, as the lights went out on the stage as well. Then the sound of an electric guitar ripped through the silence and darkness.  
  
Screams filled the air and the stage lights came back on in response to the disruption, artificial sunbeams of varying colors slicing through the darkness and speeding over the stage, which was now complete with the band. The song started up immediately; no big intro, no dramatic pause, just the powerful sound of the air being ruptured apart by the beat of drums, screeching of guitars and the low, throaty voice of the main singer, a slender young man dressed in black, with untidy moss green hair.  
  
Dib was in rapture, eyes wide and mouth slightly open in awe as he took it all in. He'd never seen anything like this before. Not to say it was bad, or good even. It was just.incredible. A touch on his shoulder woke him up from his half-dream state and he looked to the source into Zim's blue eyes, lit up with a smile. He stood up, taking Dib's hand to lead him out of the aisle. The young man gasped, a sound that went unheard to even his own ears, as it was merely a ripple in the crashing waves of the audio ocean that they were swimming in. Zim let go of his hand to motion for the other to follow him in the dark. They walked down to the bottom row, which was about seven or eight feet above the floor, which was now full with writhing bodies.  
  
The Irken leaned over, talking into Dib's ear. "Follow me, I'll catch you." He said simply, then looked around to see if anyone of importance was watching and once sure of that, slipped over the rail and neatly landed on the floor. Dib bit his lip, looking around quickly. He put full faith into Zim as he tossed his legs over the rail and pushed himself off. Strong hands wrapped around his waist before he hit the floor and the boy forgot to breathe as Zim carefully lowered him down, keeping his hands on Dib to make sure he was steady on his feet. "Alright?" He half-shouted over the music.  
  
Dib nodded, although he didn't want Zim's hands to leave him. They stood on the outskirts of the massive crowd, against the wall where no one was. Zim looked into Dib's eyes and leaned close with a smile. The song ended and the only sounds for the moments were those of the screaming fans. The band took the opportunity to talk now, introducing the members and talking to the arena's attendants. "When the music starts up again, follow me into the crowd, alright?"  
  
The human turned his amber eyes to the great crush of people before them, subdued for the moment as they listened to the one's on stage. His brows furrowed together in worry as he remembered how they'd looked 30 seconds before: a great mob pressed against each other, bodies close as they danced, moving, and slamming into each other in the mosh pit. Zim saw the look and leaned closer. "Don't worry. If you do, you won't have fun. I'll take care of you." Like he'd be able to argue when the object of his affections said that, especially when his eyes looked so warm and he was smiling so brightly, close enough that Dib could feel his warm breath.  
  
"Alright."  
  
As if on cue, the music started up again, a viscous knife cutting through the semi-quiet atmosphere. Zim's hand returned to Dib's, tightly grasping it as he led the teen into the massive throng of people. Pushed against dancing and thrashing bodies, the human shrank back slightly. Then Zim's hand tugged on his, and he remembered what his companion had said. A smile lifted Dib's lips and he let himself really listen to the music, letting himself become a part of it, his body moving almost on it's own along with the noise.  
  
Zim noticed and smiled, happy that Dib had finally relaxed enough to actually have fun. Bodies pressed against his own and he was a part of it all again: the music, the screams, the people. It had only taken one trip to his first concert, about a year or so ago, to realize it was a way to.belong, something he'd wanted quite badly. The Irken had developed a great love for it all, becoming part of one big being where names weren't important, only personalities. Only here could he truly forget his problems, only here had he felt that he belonged somewhere. Somewhat daring, he turned to face Dib, dancing along with him, eyes half-lidded as he sang/screamed along with the music.  
  
God, what a rush. Zim turned to him, hand still holding his own, and danced with him, hips and hands moving in time to the powerful music as he sang to it. How long they moved like that, Dib had no way of knowing. Time had no meaning there in that rush. But then Zim's hand tightened on his own for attention and Dib looked to see him motioning for his friend to follow him again.  
  
They moved among the sea of joyful screams and writhing organisms towards. the mosh pit. The green-skinned youth looked back at his paler companion. Dib's eyes were wide as he watched the heaving mob that made it up smash into each other. Zim bowed over until he was speaking into the other's ear. "The only thing you have to be concerned about really is your feet, which is fine since your wearing boots. Don't worry about a thing, they'll pick you right up if you fall do. Just try it!" He proceeded forward, not waiting for a response.  
  
Zim let go off his hand as they entered the pit and Dib watched as he collided purposely with another person, who smashed back into him. The human continued to watch, concerned, but then he saw Zim's face, mouth wide in a grin as he laughed and sang, pounding against the others. A body pushed against Dib's own then, doing a thorough job of getting him into the pit. The human caught a glimpse of green and he saw Zim again, not too far away and battering his shoulder against a young woman with short pink hair, who was laughing and pushing back against the other with the same amount of enthusiasm.  
  
Again, someone collided with Dib's slender body and he was thrown off balance, falling to the floor. Immediately, hands were on him and he was pulled to his feet and then they were gone before he could even identify who they belonged to. And the sudden realization came to him that it didn't matter, as everyone would pick you up if you fell, as Zim had said. Feeling more secure and wanting to try it out like he'd been instructed to, he hurtled against a person, who pushed Dib back. He laughed as he was pushed away by someone unintentionally crashed into, putting force into his gait as he was sent to crash into someone else.  
  
The extraordinary feeling of time standing still yet moving at the speed of light came back as Dib went through the mosh pit, smashing into the other's there, sometimes intentionally and sometimes not. He'd fallen several times, getting immediately picked up after, and throughout the whole experience he was having trouble remembering when he hadn't been laughing, feeling the surge of adrenaline course through his veins. He continued to see Zim, as they all seemed to more or less rotate in the moshing process, but hadn't gotten to speak to him yet.  
  
All at once, the music suddenly sounded very far away. Dib blinked, shaking his head as everything went fuzzy for a second, and he had trouble staying on his feet. His knees buckled as his surroundings began to resemble a static-filled TV screen, and a great feeling of dizziness washed over him. Then he felt a strong pair of arms wrap around him, his name being called out. "Dib! Dib, are you alright?!"  
  
As the flecks of black and white slowly began to fade, Dib slowly came to the realization that the arms were still around him, and then that he was moving. He closed his eyes, the sounds around him more vibrations than anything else in his ears. Then he opened them. He was on the outskirts of the crowd again; side pressed against the wall and Zim was directly in front of him, eyes wide with concern. The alien's arms were still around him and Dib relished in the feeling as his head cleared. He leaned forward to say something, grateful for Zim's help. Then suddenly realized how very, very close they were. Close enough to.  
  
Kiss.  
  
Dry, soft lips against his own, gently pressing against him.  
  
Zim suddenly pulled back, shocked at what the rush of adrenaline had pushed him into doing. "I- I'm sorry, Dib. I didn't mean to." 'Oh Gods, it's all over now. Why the hell did I have to go and do that? Now I've not only lost the only friend I ever had, but he'd going to hate my guts, all over again.' The alien's thoughts were a whirlwind of thought as he desperately tried to apologize.  
  
His frantic attempts to express his regret were suddenly cut off as Dib closed the distance between them, his mouth capturing Zim's.  
  
The kiss was the most incredible thing he'd ever experienced before, Zim realized as he felt Dib's soft mouth tenderly move against his own, the other's arms snaking around him. It was precious, chaste, and the alien wrapped his arms totally around the human in a strong hold, relishing the moment. Then they broke off, and their eyes met. Dib smiled.  
  
Zim's lips perked slightly, then pulled back into a full-fledged grin. He hugged Dib fiercely, smile growing even more as the embrace was returned. He could feel his insides twist in happiness.  
  
They finally let go, and Zim leaned forward to speak into Dib's ear, purposely letting his lips gently graze it as he asked, "Ready to take on the crowd again?"  
  
Dib's golden eyes shone with excitement as he nodded and took Zim's hand, motioning for the Irken to lead the way. He did so, a laugh escaping his lips as they moved back into the crowd. They traveled through the throng of people, relishing in the feeling of each other's hand, the tight feeling in their chests and dizziness in their heads. Zim pulled Dib close to talk again. "Trust me?" He called out in the question that had been brought up all night.  
  
Zim's only answer was a bright grin and nod. Laughing, he suddenly wrapped his arms around Dib, one hand behind the boy's back and the other under his rear end. He boosted Dib up and the young man felt himself being almost thrown up, Zim letting go. He gasped and then there were hands under him, pushing him along as voices below howled, laughed, sang. The young man laughed at the experience of absolute freedom, feeling as though he were floating.  
  
Hands grabbed at him and Zim felt himself being pushed up to the top of the crowd. He cackled joyfully at the sensation, eyes on the domed ceiling above as the music rang in his head and the feeling of hands pressed against him as he was passed along. A movement at his side caught his eye and he saw Dib, the boy's slender frame being thrown lightly across the great organism known as the crowd. He was laughing, tears trickling down his face from doing it too much. The starry eyes caught Zim's and the human reached out his hand for the Irken's as they neared each other.  
  
Masculine hands in a strong grip, Dib felt Zim's fingers tighten around his hand and he squeezed back, not letting go as they continued to move over the people below, never separating, to finally reach the stage. Zim felt someone grab at him and help lower him to the ground and he reached out to help Dib down. The young man melted into the other's embrace, wrapping his arms around him in both affection and the need to steady himself after the crowd-surfing experience.  
  
Dib looked up to see they were right at the stage, Untitled's singer so close he could have touched him. The singer threw back his head and howled; a loud crack sounded off, and confetti fell from the ceiling. Tiny pieces of glossy square paper, it fluttered down in flashes of red and silver through the dark. And in the midst of this rain, Zim and Dib leaned close, lips touching each other in a tender kiss as the artificial rose petals fell down to land in their ebony hair.  
  
*** The bus ride home was quiet, as there was barely any passengers on at that time of night. Zim and Dib hadn't let their hands be separated until they got on the vehicle and took a seat in the back again. Dib's eyes slowly slid shut from exhaustion of the night's events, helped to sleep by the constant drone of the bus and the comforting feeling and warmth of Zim next to him.  
  
Zim, who was sitting by the window, delighted in Dib's body pressed against his own, his own mind deep in thought over everything that had happened. Soft flesh and a light weight caused the Irken look down to see Dib's hand over his own. The boy's head had long ago titled against the alien's shoulder in slumber and Zim's face warmed in a gentle smile as he looked down at the perfect mixture of pink and green.  
  
*~*~*~ Oh, you loved this, didn't you? I know I did! Finally some physical contact! YAY, now the fun REALLY starts!! *cackles but if mindful of her surrounding lest she once again be attacked by horrible rodents with the intent to steal her pastries* See, I wasn't going to keep them all away from each other the whole story (Happy, Hitari?) Okay, maybe I'm sounding a bit conceited, but I'll bet plenty of people are happy. And yes, I was so happy to get this written. Up until 3:13 in the morning with only Disturbed and a brain freezy to keep me company as I holed myself up in my room.  
  
I've been working on a pic for this chapter and will hopefully have it out soon. ^^ Please review and not only will I love you forever I'll.make you pancakes! PAAAANCAAAKES!!!!!!!!!!! *giggles and cuddles with Zim and Dib plushies* (Which I don't really have. DO they even make Dib one's? Cause if not, I shall have to make my own. Don't underestimate it, Lindsey made me a Legolas one. So I get to sleep with the pretty elf every night, take that Hitari! MWAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!!!!!) Hey, do I get that cake with Tasuki and Chichiri strippers in it now? Kichara made a goooood chapter (You can correct me if I'm wrong, I just loved this so much.) (Even more than Cheezits. GASP!)Until next time.Ekki ekki ekki p'tang zoop boing mmrmmm!!!  
  
P.S. I expect a lot of reviews from this! At least twenty before I put out the next chapter (Or one reaaaaally good one.) I need to know if everyone else loved this as much as I do. *tosses out index cards and Tickle-Me Hellmo's*  
  
P.P.S I'll be starting up a Mailing List for when I put up new stuff, so if you wanna be on it, just e-mail me at kicharachan@hotmail.com, with Mailing List in the title.  
  
P.P.P.S. I've gotten a good amount of Dib/Zim artwork done, the only problem is I can't get it sent to the wonderful Niko to put up on her webpage. I'll hopefully get it all worked out soon and will write that in when I do. Pleasant something, organisms. 


	9. The Fine Art of Yaoi

Love is Weird But It Makes You Feel All Warm and Tingly Inside! By: Kichara Chapter 9: The Fine Art of Yaoi  
  
Yo, sup dawgs? I'm back with another chapter, yeah me and my unstoppable death machine self! ^^ Glad everyone enjoyed Chapter 8. ^^ Been getting lotsa reviews! YAYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!! *rolls around on the floor making carpet angels*  
  
Ooo, guess what! I went to Disney Quest and got to play Dance Dance Revolution! For free! MWAHAHAHAHAHAAAha ha..ha?.....ACCURSED POOPY CHAIR!!!!!!!! *gnaws on her own leg in comfort*  
  
*~*~*~ Dib scrubbed furiously at his teeth with the toothbrush, merrily spitting out the toothpaste into the sink. //Never thought about merrily spitting out toothpaste before.// He thought to himself, giggling. //But it IS nice, getting it all out of your mouth and making you feel allll minty fresh.// He rinsed out his mouth and the sink with a little smile, then grabbed a towel, rubbed his face dry and tossed it up into the air before catching it and tossing it onto the sink counter.  
  
The grin that had appeared on his face when he'd woken up came back as the young man began humming an old song, dancing along with it. The hum escalated to Dib whole-heartedly singing it as he half-danced, half-jogged down the stairs. " We were standing all alone, you were leaning in to speak to me; Acting like a mover shaker dancing to Madonna then you kissed me." The young man grabbed his bookbag and headed out the door that he'd patched up with a couple of two by fours.  
  
He continued singing to himself as he headed for the entrance, earning a smile from an older lady he passed on the way, which he was more than happy to return. "And I think about you all the time, Sweet temptation rush all over me, And think about it all the time, Passion desire so intense I can't take anymore because."  
  
The paranormalist got to the glass doors and as he opened one, looked up and stopped in slight shock at the sight of Zim.  
  
The alien had his back turned to him, hands held loosely in his pockets in a very human-like gesture, head tilted back slightly to gaze up at the brightening sky. He turned at the sound of the door opening and Dib felt his heart skip a beat in his chest at the look on the other's face. Zim's lips were pulled back in a wide smile and even through the contacts Dib could see how bright his eyes were. "Good morning, Dib-human." He said, voice quiet and sounding hopeful.  
  
Dib, who's been hanging onto the door, realized he was doing so and let go, walking over to the other. "Morning." He answered, suddenly nervous.  
  
Zim noticed this and in the hopes that physical exertion would help to lessen it, suggested, "Come on, let's walk."  
  
The human nodded in agreement, following through with the idea. Several minutes of silence passed before Dib decided to break it with a timid question. "You.you don't regret.what happened last night, do you?" His heart raced as he waited for a response.  
  
Zim's tone was serious, yet very gentle as he answered, "Only if you do."  
  
The young man smiled, reaching out to give Zim's hand a squeeze. "Then you don't have anything to worry about."  
  
The Irken smiled, squeezing back. ***  
  
Zim shuffled through the papers he's put in his book, looking for his homework. A sudden movement and the scratching of a chair leg against the tile made him look up, and realized that someone had decided to sit next to him, a rare occurrence except with Dib. Two someone's, actually, which made the situation all the more intriguing. The two punk girls that were in his Language Arts class had taken the desks in front and beside him and were both studying him closely.  
  
"What?" he almost snapped, feeling a bit nervous under their scrutiny.  
  
"Your name's Zim, right?" The one in front of him asked, reaching up to tuck a lock of blue hair behind an ear.  
  
"Yes, why?"  
  
"My name's Amanda," she reached out a many-ringed hand to his and Zim, remembering the Earth custom, nervously shook it. "And that's Lindsey." Amanda said, tossing her head in the direction of her friend, who waved furiously (jingle, jingle, jingle).  
  
"We saw you at the concert last night." Lindsey said, jade eyes sparkling.  
  
"You and Dib." Amanda supplied in assistance to Zim's confused expression.  
  
The Irken's eyes narrowed, going on the defensive. "And just what do you two intend to do about it?!"  
  
Lindsey giggled. "Help you, silly!" She leaned closer, titling her head of blonde hair curiously, "Is this your first relationship?"  
  
"What do you mean by 'relationship'?" Zim asked, still a bit suspicious.  
  
"You know.going out, hugging, kissing, other fun stuff." Amanda supplied with a wicked smile.  
  
"Well then.yes."  
  
"Cool!" The blue-haired girl squealed and started rummaging through her patch-covered bookbag for a minute before pulling out a pen and piece of paper. She scribbled something down on the paper, then handed it to Zim. "Go here, read her stuff. It'll give you some ideas as to what to do in what we like to call the art of yaoi."  
  
"Yaoi?"  
  
The bell rang and their teacher came in then, so the only response he got from Amanda was another wicked smile before she turned to face the front of the room.  
  
"Definitely an art." Lindsey agreed with a grin. "Good luck." She said before doing the same.  
  
The young Irken looked down at the piece of paper, eye quirking, 'http://www.geocities.com/raihnefirehawk/fanfics.html?'  
  
*** "So what did you think of last night?" Zim asked. The school day had passed by and now the two boys were heading home.  
  
"Last night?" Dib looked straight into Zim's eyes, a carnation pink hue starting to ting his cheeks.  
  
"You said you never went to a concert before, so."  
  
"Oh!" The young man rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. "I liked it. I liked it a lot. It wasn't like anything I've ever done before; like the moshpit." He answered.  
  
"Is that for better or worse?"  
  
"Better. It was a great place to work off tension, actually."  
  
The Irken chuckled. "That's not surprising. Moshing is an experience that could be best summed up as beating on other people without the real intent of trying to hurt them. "He paused, blinking. "Does that make any sense?"  
  
Dib nodded, smiling. "Plenty of sense."  
  
"Well, we're here."  
  
"Huh?" He looked around, surprised to see that they were already at the front doors of his apartment. "Oh. Um." He trailed off, looking up to meet Zim's eyes, shuffling nervously.  
  
Zim studied the human for long moment. Then he pulled one hand out of his pocket, gently grabbed the other's chin to tilt it up, and kissed him quickly on the lips. He pulled back, turning to walk away with a soft smile. "I'll see you tomorrow, Dib. Have a good night."  
  
"See you tomorrow." The young man stood, watching until Zim was out of sight. Then he burst into a fit of happy giggles, wrapping his arms around himself in a hug. ***  
  
Zim paused in his walk home, leaning against a wall. His hand lifted up, fingers trailing lightly along his still-tingling lips. A smile broke out on his face and the Irken happily continued home. 'Dib.' Life was really an amazing thing.  
  
A little later, the alien was down in his lab, avoiding Gir, who's decided that his master was a Froot Loop upon entering the house. In an effort to be hidden so that he wouldn't be attacked for his 'frooty goodness', he sat at the computer console, 'And I can see what this is all about.' He mused, pulling out the scrap of paper given to him from his pocket. Straightening out the battered bit of recycled tree, he typed out the address into the computer. 'I've never talked to either of those girls before. They really don't seem to mean any harm, though; No point in not checking it out.' He scanned over the computer screen as the site popped up. "Yaoi? That word again." He clicked on a page with growing interest, finding it to be a long list of 'yaoi' stories. "Hmmm." ***  
  
"Dib! Wait up!" Now there was something he didn't hear often. Dib turned to see Zim hurrying towards him through the crowded hallway. The alien had had a funny look on his face all day, Dib had noticed, from the morning when they'd walked to school together to Language Arts to now. The expression was a strange mixture, hard to decipher: happiness, anxiousness, maybe a bit nervous and there was a definite slyness to it all.  
  
"What're you thinking about?" Zim asked as they walked off the school grounds.  
  
The human blushed, suddenly finding the sidewalk very interesting. "You."  
  
Zim smiled, a faint blush tinging his own cheeks and he reached out to take Dib's hand, suddenly turning into an alley.  
  
The young man looked both ways; the alley was deserted, the streets outside quiet and then his eyes drifted up to meet Zim's. "Me?" The Irken said softly, arms wrapping around the other and pulling him close, asking a request with no words.  
  
Dib responded in kind, silently lifting his head slightly, eyes sliding shut.  
  
The alien's lips were on his own, bringing him back to that heaven on Earth experience he was becoming quite fond of.  
  
A slight smirk formed on Zim's mouth and then his tongue reached out, running across Dib's upper lip in a delicate arch. The sensation made the human gasp in surprise, his eyes snapping wide and leaving him open for the Irken to explore.  
  
It took a moment for the surprise to wear off and Dib began to respond to the touch of his former nemesis, tongue running against Zim's and then, almost shyly, reached out to taste the other's mouth.  
  
He began to feel the need for air and reluctantly broke off, gasping.  
  
"Are you alright?" Zim asked, arms still around him.  
  
"Where.did you learn to do that?" Dib said, still slightly out of breath, melting into the other's embrace.  
  
"I did some research." The Irken grinned, gently kissing Dib's nose.  
  
The young man blushed shyly at the tender act. "Research?"  
  
"Two girls that go to our school saw us at the concert and gave me a website full of yaoi stories."  
  
"Yaoi?"  
  
"It's Japanese, it means something along the lines of male/male love."  
  
'Oh my God, did he just say love?' "So did you learn anything else?"  
  
Zim smirked again. "Plenty; but it can wait." He reached out to gently cup the other's face.  
  
Dib smiled and reached up to swipe his fingers through Zim's slightly course hair. "Fine, then. I'll be waiting, all you have to do is ask." ***  
  
Whoahhhhh, how was that? My first french kiss ever written! I'm such a little virgin writer. ^^ How'd you guys like this? It took me forever to write! And, in case you couldn't figure it out, I made a cameo in here with my bosom buddy, Lindsey, because, without her, this story wouldn't be as great as it is. ^^ I don't really have blue hair (I wish, tho'!), it's just brown with a little bit o' blonde cuz the sun bleaches it. I can't even dye it now, cuzza my work (curse Universal!)  
  
I love alleys. ^^ And, just as a bit of an inside joke, this is the same alley Duo and Heero kissed in in "A Good Catholic Boy." Gooood story. ^^  
  
Oh..I'VE FINALLY GOT SOME OF MY ART OUT ON THE 'NET!!! Not ALL my Zim/Dib art, mind you, 'M still working on that. ^^() But what I do have is on Niko's site: www.angelfire.com/goth/izslash/index.html (Bless her!) Oh, and if you haven't read Niko's stories, you should, they kick major booty!  
  
More notes for my um.mentor type, person, Raihne. Her website's the one I had Zim go to, check it out, she's awesome. She's actually going to put my story up on it sometime soon. ^^ Hooray for Raihne and chicken hot dogs!!  
  
And last, but not least, the song that Dib is singing is "Chained to You", by Savage Garden. If you haven't listened to all their music, you NEEEED to! It's the ultimate yaoi music! ^^ Hehe.ultimate yaoi music. I amuse meself. ^^ 


	10. Jarred Remains Next to a Collection of D...

Love is Weird But It Makes You Feel All Warm and Tingly Inside!!  
  
By: Kichara  
  
Chapter Ten: Jarred Remains Next to a Collection of D&D Trolls  
  
Holy moth-eaten lunchboxes, Batman! I'm soooo sorry for the long wait, but I gotta a really good reason! I smashed the back of my head open and hadda get staples in. They're all gone now, and so are all those neat conversations I was the only one that could hear. Awww. But never fear, even head wounds can't keep me away from my babies for too long! ^^  
  
Note: I am currently writing this at 3:38AM in the morning, putting together weeks of work so that I could FINALLY get this out! .  
  
***  
  
Dib stifled a yawn, hiding it partially with a hand, and blinked blearily at the evil classroom clock with the too-early time. He was interrupted from the action of rubbing the sleep from his eyes when an envelope was dropped onto his desk. The young man blinked in surprise, looking up at the retreating teacher, who was tossing identical envelopes onto the other desks.  
  
Eyebrows furrowed in confusion, Dib picked up the envelope and slipped his thumb under the flap, tearing it open and pulling out the paper inside. He unfolded it and quickly read over the sheet, finding it to be an invitation to.  
  
"Prom?" He whispered to himself, eyes widening.  
  
***  
  
Zim yawned lazily, slumping down lower in his chair as he watched his teacher get a stack of envelopes from her desk and begin passing them out. This was entirely too boring to be.humane, as humans would say. He would have quit school a long time ago, but he enjoyed the challenge. Not from the classes, of course, but from his fights with Dib. And then later school had been an excuse to be close to the human that he had an ever-growing infatuation for.  
  
The ex-Invader smiled slightly at the thought, claw-like fingers thoughtfully running over the spikes of his necklace. The soft flop of an envelope dropping on his desk interrupted his daydream and Zim glared at the teacher first, then at the offending piece of paper on his desk. He continued to glare for a few minutes, just to show it who was boss, before finally grabbing it.  
  
In one swift motion, he ripped off the top of the envelope and dumped the paper that was inside onto his desk. The Irken unfolded the paper and read it, then re-read it, his eyes narrowing in thought. //Prom?//  
  
He seen enough about "Proms" on the mind-numbing shows that Gir watched to know that they were a large part of young human culture. //Humans.will Dib care?//  
  
***  
  
Dib walked slowly to his next class, oblivious to the noisy hallway around him as he did so, deep in thought. He'd never been to a dance before and prom was really important. He'd really like to go, but.  
  
"Good morning, Dib." A voice next to the young man startled him and he turned in surprise to see his sister walking alongside him.  
  
"Um, morning Gaz." He trailed off, noticing absently how they were given an easy walkway, as people scurried to get out of Gaz's way.  
  
"How are things?" She asked, not paying much attention to the scattered students.  
  
A smile wormed its way onto Dib's face. "Good, things are really good."  
  
A purple eyebrow quirked slightly and the Goth girl had to fight to keep a smile off her face in response to her brother's infectious good mood. "Really good? Good enough for you and Zim to go to prom together?"  
  
Dib blushed immediately, talking to the floor as he gave a response to Gaz's question. "I'm really not sure. I'd really like to go; I just don't know if Zim would be up to it." He looked up. "You know what." The words trailed off, for the person they were for had disappeared.  
  
The paranormalist stopped, looking in all directions. "Gaz?"  
  
***  
  
Zim was on his way to his next class, head bobbing slightly in sync to his headphones, which were blasting Static-X. A tap on his shoulder made him jump slightly and he looked around to find Dib's frightening sister walking alongside him. He reached up to pull down the headphones, letting them rest just above his shoulders.  
  
"Yes?" The Irken asked, somewhat cautiously.  
  
"Prom is coming up." Gaz said, turning her head to look him straight in the eye. "What about my brother?"  
  
Zim merely blinked in response at first, recognizing her voice to have a knowing tone within it. //How the hell did she know?!// "What's it to you?" He countered.  
  
She stopped, causing the people walking through the hall to form a wide circle around the two as they skirted about them. The young woman fixed the Irken with a death glare, causing a shudder to run down his spine. "He's my brother and he wants you to go with him. And you WILL go with him, or I'll have you put into multiple jars next to a collection of Dungeons and Dragons Mountain Trolls." She turned her back to him, a slight fog around her feet as she started walking away and she parted with the words, "When you two are ready, I'll take you to the mall to shop for it." And then she was gone, leaving the young Irken to stand slack-jawed, in the middle of the hallway.  
  
***  
  
"A movie at your house?" Dib repeated as the two walked home later that day.  
  
Zim nodded in response. "I thought it would be nice."  
  
"It does sound nice." The human agreed, thoughtfully. "Any other reason why?"  
  
"Actually, yes. I want to talk to you in private." He answered, tone serious.  
  
"What about Gir?"  
  
"I'll think of something." The Irken smiled, reaching up to brush his claws against the other's cheek. "I'll see you at about 7, alright?"  
  
Dib smiled in return, nodding slightly. "See you then."  
  
They went their separate ways, Dib just inside the doors of his apartment complex, (as Zim always walked him to and from school each day) and Zim heading in the direction of his house.  
  
The young man dumped his bookbag on the kitchen table, rummaging through it for his Math book. As he pulled out the thick book, a paper fell out of it and floated to the floor. He picked it up, discovering it to be his prom invitation. Dib settled into one of the chairs, ready to fully go over all the questions that had been prattling through his head ever since that morning, thoughtfully tapping the bit recycled tree against the table top.  
  
//Would Zim want to go? Will he think it's stupid? Our relationship is far enough for us to go, isn't it?// He reflected over this, thinking of the recent events involving the two of them. A little grin as well as a light blush appeared on his face in response. They were far enough in it all, he was sure; Dib was just unsure as to whether or not Zim would want to go.  
  
Dib had never had the opportunity to go to ANY school dance; his unpopularity and lack of a date just made it painful. But now.  
  
"I'll ask him about it tonight." He resolved aloud, reaching for his math book so he could finish his homework before then.  
  
***  
  
Zim opened the door in response to the doorbell to find a somewhat nervous looking Dib. The Irken smiled, finding the sight to be quite adorable. "Hi." He said simply, opening the door fully so that the other could come in.  
  
Dib did so, looking around cautiously. "Where's Gir?"  
  
"I gave him ten dollars and told him to go downtown. It's Friday; the inevitability that he'll go to a club is reliable."  
  
The young man laughed slightly, nodding in agreement. Zim laughed with him, a gentle thunder of emotion, until his eyes met Dib's and he stopped, breath catching.  
  
Dib stopped, lips slightly parted. A long pause passed before he broke it. "Can you take off your contacts?" He asked softly.  
  
The Irken blinked in surprise to the request then silently complied, placing the contacts on the living room table. He turned back to Dib, whose eyes were shining brightly in the soft light.  
  
//God, he's gorgeous. I just want to.// Without even thinking about it, the boy began leaning towards the other, lips slightly parted.  
  
Zim noticed, eyes widening and he began moving towards Dib.Then stopped. //No no, must ask Dib to prom. Don't want to be jarred.//  
  
Meanwhile, Dib hadn't even noticed Zim pulling back, as he had been going through the same action. //No, I've got to ask Zim to prom. None of THAT. as tempting as it may be.// "So, um, what about that movie?" He asked, trying to figure out the best way to approach the asking situation.  
  
"Yes, of course, the movie." Zim's thoughts were similar as he quickly moved to comply, glad for something to do.  
  
Dib sat on the couch and took off his shoes as the other pressed play on the VCR, then settled in next to him. For a long, awkward moment, the two sat in silence, avoiding each other's eyes as they tried to figure out how to handle the current situation. Then Dib grabbed Zim's hand and held it tightly, daring to look into the Irken's eyes. The area underneath the rose- colored pupils had turned an equally rosy tint and the alien smiled softly, intrigued and encouraged by Dib's daring. They were silent until the movie began, and then the paranormalist jumped a bit. "Hey, I LOVE this movie! I must've seen it about 30 times!"  
  
"Really? What's it about?" Zim asked, head tilting to the side in curiosity as he studied the title that had popped up on the screen, 'Killer Clowns From Outer Space.'  
  
Dib giggled in response, a grin plastered on his face at the thought of Zim being clueless as to what the contents of the movie were. "You'll see."  
  
The young Irken was quiet, listening to Dib, then turned his attention back to the screen.  
  
And all was going fine and dandy, peaceful and calm until a clown popped up on the screen.  
  
"Holy shit!" Zim shrieked, instinctively jumping several inches in the air and grabbing a hold of the closest thing available, which happened to be Dib at that moment.  
  
The young man laughed softly, wrapping his arms around his ex-enemy and affectionately watching Zim cling to him and eye the screen fearfully. "It's a horror movie, Zim." He explained, a smile perking at his lips.  
  
"Well I didn't know!" The Irken protested in indignation, almost pushing himself away. He realized what he was doing and in what position he'd wormed his way into in the nick of time and relaxed in Dib's reassuring arms, his own still around the lithe body. A long time passed in silence as the two cuddled, the only sounds coming from Zim's occasional squeak of fear, where he would meld himself closer to his cuddling partner.  
  
Dib's mind began to drift, as he'd seen the movie enough times to not need to really watch it, coming back to memories of fighting against Zim at the thought of aliens. It had to have been some of the best times of his short life, although he certainly appreciated their present relationship much better.  
  
Zim noticed the smile on his companion's face and he gently tapped Dib's mouth. "What is it?"  
  
Dib took the fingers from his lips and held the Irken's hand, giving it a squeeze as he responded. "I was just thinking about us. We've gone through so much; Enemies to rivals to friends to.now."  
  
The Irken paused in reflective silence before contributing further to the conversation. "You know, when I found out that I wasn't really an Invader, I had no more reason to fight you. And after that, I had so much trouble focusing. I began going to concerts, the only place I found some sort of belonging, out amid the screaming and strangers."  
  
The young man ran his thumb over Zim's palm, noticing that he's taken off his gloves, and enjoying the soft feel of the smooth flesh. "When you stopped going against me, it was almost as if a part of me was missing. You were, after all, the thing that kept me going all those years."  
  
The green-skinned youth smiled, running his free hand through Dib's hair. "What was really torture was when I got to the point where I couldn't stop thinking about you. It kept me up at night, wandering the streets and staring up at the stars in hopes that they'd give me an answer as to why I cared so much about someone I was supposed to despise with all of my being. It got so strong that I had to make an effort to glare at you, to yell, to insult. It had to be the hardest struggle I've ever gone through."  
  
Dib's mouth had dropped slightly in shock somewhere in where he's been listening to Zim speak, his lips parted as he stared at the other, who took the opportunity to steal a quick kiss. "Zim." He was silent for a long moment, not moving, then he tightened his hold on the Irken immensely, burying his head against Zim's shoulder. "Thank you so much." He whispered.  
  
"You don't have to thank me." Zim smiled fondly, hugging Dib in return. "I do have a request, though."  
  
"Hm?" Dib pulled back slightly to stare into the other's eyes. "What is it?"  
  
The ex-Invader chewed thoughtfully on his lip. "This.prom event.Will you go with me?" The human's eyes widened and he was completely still. Zim frowned, wondering if Gaz had been mistaken about her brother's wishes. "Of course if you don't want to, we."  
  
"Of course I do!" Dib threw his arms around his old enemy. "I was a bit shocked, that's all. I'd been planning on asking YOU."  
  
The Irken chuckled, running his hand through the other's inky black hair again. His eyes drifted back to the TV screen and he automatically stiffened. Dib noticed and studied the other in concern. "What's wrong?"  
  
Zim let out a little 'meep' and merely hugged Dib tighter. The human noticed the other's line of vision and found it to be full of spooky evil clown goodness. "Oh cool! This part's awesome!" he exclaimed, watching a clown suck up a human's guts through a long, curly straw. The Irken merely made another squeaky noise and curled his legs up against his body.  
  
Dib turned, studying the Irken again, who's green skin had turned several shades lighter. Titling his head to the side, he asked, "Hey, do you have any other movies?"  
  
Zim blinked, "Yes, Gir does. Why?"  
  
"Oh, I thought a change would be nice. I've seen this movie way too many times. It'll be nice to see something else."  
  
"Are you sure? I thought you liked this movie."  
  
"Yeah, but it's a bit old to me." Dib smiled and detached Zim from his body, getting up and stopping the video. He watched as the other took in a relieved breath as he asked, "Where are Gir's movies?"  
  
The young Irken took in another breath before answering. "In the cabinet underneath the TV."  
  
"Okay, let's see." Dib murmured, shuffling through the vast collection. 'Rambo? Nah, too gory.The Grinch? It's not even Christmas! Hocus Pocus; No, too weird.' He moved around more movies, coming across. 'Bend Over and Say 'Ah'?' He pulled it out in curiosity, glancing over it for a mili-second before quickly shoving it back into the cabinet. He went back to looking, his cheeks now a fiery red, a bit more cautious now. 'The Sound of Music? No, too.musical. Ick. Highlander, too much gore again.'  
  
Finally, ten minutes later the boys were settling aback onto the couch, watching the opening credits for an American Tail.  
  
Zim sighed once again in relief and contentment, wrapping one arm around Dib's shoulders. The boy smiled, nestling his head against Zim's firm chest, arm snaking around his waist. Quiet contentment surrounded the two as they watched the movie. And it was sometime after "Somewhere Out There" that the Irken realized that the head propped against his chest was unnaturally heavy.  
  
"Dib?" he asked softly.  
  
His answer came in the form of heavy, sleep-laden breathing.  
  
Smiling, Zim gently tilted Dib so that he wouldn't fall over, easing his strong arms underneath the lithe body and standing up, cradling the boy close to him. He walked softly, not wanting to startle the sleeping human, who merely murmured contently as Zim tapped the living room table with his leg. The space of floor he was standing on slid down, traveling down to his room.  
  
Once there he gently laid the young man down on his bed, taking off his glasses and placing them on the nightstand, then crawling in next to him. "Zim." Dib mumbled sleepily, eyes never opening as one arm lifted and draped itself across Zim's torso.  
  
The alien smiled in both surprise and contentment, pulling the covers up and then wrapping an arm around Dib, snuggling against the warm body that fit against his own as if they were made for each other. * * * Jeeeeez, it's finally done!!! My God, this has been entirely too stressful to get this damned chapter out! Argh!! (Look, I'm a pirate!) Whelp, hope this was worth the wait! I've already started on Chapter 11, that SHOULD be out A LOT faster than this one. ^^()  
  
Okay, a request for anyone who wants to be considered a demi-God in my book. I don't know if you've all seen them yet, but I do have a couple of my Zim and Dib pics up on Niko's page (as previously stated), and everyone has prolly noticed their VERY low quality. If anyone will just go and clean them up for me, I will be eternally grateful and will do something for you, prolly draw a pic of your choice. (Like if you want me to draw one for a fanfic, or maybe just a pic of you), and if anyone's ambitious enough to actually color them, I'll.oh, we'll figure out something. Any questions, please e-mail me at kicharachan@hotmail.com Peace out, dawgs! 


	11. The Joy of Dressing Rooms

Love is Weird, But It Makes You Feel All Warm and Tingly Inside!!!  
  
By: Kichara  
  
Chapter 11: The Joy of Dressing Rooms  
  
* * *  
  
Okay, boys and girls, let's all say it together. Fanfiction.net is evil, Fanfiction.net is evil, Fanfiction.net is evil... ARGH! (look, I'm a pirate!) Man, I need to come up with new jokes. It's just getting too hard to come up with this stuff, partly because school seems to be draining all my creativity and ff.net's evilness is causing a bit of a block with me because of the fact that I can't go and put up the story ideas I had planned out. ARGH!!! (Look, I'm.oh, never mind.) Anyhoo, here you guys go! Sorry it took so long!  
  
***  
  
Warmth; warmth and the intimate and comfortable presence of someone close was the sensation that Dib woke up to. His eyes slid open slowly, then widened to saucer-size as he realized that he was wrapped up in the arms of his ex-rival. 'Okay, now don't freak out.' He commanded to himself, taking in several deep breaths before he did so. 'My clothes are still on, and so are his. And all we did last night was watch movies.' Explanations and conclusions ran through his head, calming him further. 'I must have fallen asleep and Zim brought me in here.' Which certainly wasn't all that bad, Dib realized, once again registering the other's strong arm wrapped around him. And the Irken was so close to him, quiet and serene in sleep. He was so.  
  
Beautiful wasn't the word for it. Handsome wasn't strong enough to describe Zim, Dib decided, that face, softened immensely in sleep, eyes closed and lips pressed together softly. Zim wasn't perfect, but.near perfect would do then, the human decided with a little smile, holding the Irken a bit tighter and leaning in even closer. The slight motion alerted something in Zim, whose antennae twitched, standing up from his hair and then his eyelids fluttered open, revealing endless ruby underneath. He blinked, then memory kicked in, and he smiled.  
  
"Good morning Dib." he half-whispered, voice rough from sleep.  
  
The young man smiled in return, fingers running back and forth just below Zim's ribcage. "You brought me in here?"  
  
"I.I didn't want to leave you out on the couch. And." He paused, almost hesitating. "And I wanted to see what it was like to wake up with someone in my arms." He reached out with his free hand to brush back several strands of Dib's bed-head hair.  
  
Dib's smile grew warmer and a bit mischievous as he answered. "I enjoyed it; Did you?"  
  
"Immensely." Zim's eyes widened slightly in surprise as Dib moved in closer, then slid shut a bit as the other's lips made contact with his own. The Irken reveled in the comfortable feeling of Dib's soft lips moving against, pondering in some corner of his mind whether or not he should go further with the kiss or not. Surprise overtook him again as Dib took the initiative and brought on the next level of intimacy, his tongue slipping into Zim's mouth and exploring it thoroughly.  
  
Zim moaned softly as he was somewhat devoured by the adventurous human, his own hands roaming over the boy's body; running through the inky black hair, fingers tracing the muscles of Dib's back, arms, and chest. Dib shivered a bit in pleasure and remembered about hands, putting his own to use. Almost hesitant fingers trailed from Zim's waist to his upper back, coming forward and trailing along the Irken's collarbone. The digits moved upwards, lightly tracing up to his neck, winding in the unkempt hair and then trailed over of the alien's antennae.  
  
The Irken gasped in response to the tender contact, breaking off the kiss in the process. Taking note of this, Dib took both of the antennae in his hands, gripped lightly between the thumb and pointer finger, and lightly ran his hands over the velvet softness. Zim moaned, looking almost like a content cat as he lay back and gazed up at the human through half-lidded eyes. His claw-like hands reached for Dib again, intent on pulling him close again to regain their kiss, when. the sound of the doorbell ringing thundered thorough the room.  
  
The boys blinked and Zim frowned at the ceiling in irritation. "Just ignore it." He said, hands stretching out for his companion once again. Dib nodded, happy to comply as the other traced circles along his back, their lips touching.  
  
The doorbell rang.  
  
Zim sat up, a grim frown on his face as he glared terribly at the ceiling.  
  
The doorbell rang.  
  
"Maybe we should just go see who it is." Dib suggested, though he was as reluctant as Zim to leave their current situation.  
  
The doorbell rang. "Fine." The Irken bared his teeth in annoyance and he got up out of the bed. He took Dib's hand and helped him up as well, then led the human over to the elevator. He kept a hold on the slender through the ride up to the house level, then as he half-stomped to the door. With his unoccupied hand he grabbed a hold of the knob, twisting it and swinging it back to reveal.Gaz.  
  
The Goth, standing with her arms neatly tucked behind her back, a slight fog dancing around her feet despite the morning's weather clarity. She raised one slender purple eyebrow, the only show of emotion, as she took in the two boys. "Well, this is unexpected."  
  
"What are you doing here?!" Zim demanded, glaring forcefully at Dib's sister.  
  
"I came over to make sure you asked Dib. Dib you?"  
  
The young Irken ground his teeth in irritation, "Yes, you irritating demon spawn. Why the hell do you have to."  
  
'Then you two get dressed; I'm taking you to the mall, remember?" She said, cutting him off.  
  
* * *  
  
Half an hour later, the boys were hanging on for dear life in the back seat of Gaz's car. Gir was sitting up in the front next to Gaz, singing along merrily to the stereo system, which happened to be blasting Pantera at the moment.  
  
Dib had borrowed some clothes from Zim, who'd happily dressed him up in a pair of tight pants and a tank top that laced up in the back. "Thank God the mall's not all that far." He commented to his companion, bracing his feet on the floor and grabbing Zim tightly as they rounded a corner and almost took out a stop sign in the process.  
  
Zim, who was looking a bit greener than usual only nodded, wrapping an arm around Dib to hold him steady, the other hand securely gripping the 'Oh Shit' bar.  
  
Ten minutes and a severally damaged Boy Scout later, the black-clad boys were climbing out of Gaz's death mobile, eternally grateful for terra firma as they attempted to regain their land legs. Gaz got out, Gir happily clinging to her shoulder, and slammed the door shut behind her and starting to walk towards the mall entrance, forcing the two to hurry up to catch up. She led them into a department store and to the second floor to the formal wear rental part of the store.  
  
Like a predator silently stalking prey she prowled through the aisles and racks, occasionally grabbing an item and tossing it at one of her half- fearful followers. After about ten minutes of this the young woman stopped, pointing to the dressing rooms. "Go try them on." She commanded, then looked around carefully before choosing a spot against the wall for her to lean against and frighten passerbyers, while Gir ran around in a bridesmaid dress, further scaring the civilians by grabbing them by the ankles and profoundly screaming his love for toenail clippings.  
  
The dressing rooms were all empty, probably due to the fact that it was so early in the day. The two boys each took one, going to try on their selected clothing. Several minutes later, Zim looked up from buttoning up his vest as he heard, "Damned stupid buttons; They should be numbered." The alien stood still for a moment, then a sly grin crossed his face. With the wide grin still plastered on his face, he left his cubby and crept over to Dib's, slipping inside.  
  
"Zim! What're you doing in here?!"  
  
"Don't you need help with the buttons?"  
  
"Well, yeah." Several moments of silence filled the dressing room area until Dib near-yelped. "Zim! I thought you were going to help!"  
  
"I AM helping." The grin could be actually heard in the Irken's voice.  
  
"But you.ohhh."  
  
"Still complaining?"  
  
"No.Not.really."  
  
Gaz entered the dressing room area a few minutes later, Gir at her feet. Soft rustling and muffled voices brought forth an arched eyebrow and the blunt question, "Are you two in the same dressing room?"  
  
A proud sounding, "Yes!" rang out in answer, while Dib yelped, "No!" at the same time.  
  
"Does the stuff fit?" She asked, seeming unaffected as she placed her hands on her hips.  
  
"Um, yeah." Her brother answered.  
  
"Then bring it up to the counter and have them save it when you two are done. I'll be in the Food Court." With that she walked off, Gir in her wake screeching about pork rinds.  
  
The boys looked at each other for a long moment, then Dib lowered his gaze, embarrassed. " Ummm.We should get going then. "He remarked, as Gir's squeals faded in the distance.  
  
"Oh, alright." Zim said with a definite pout. He turned to go, then paused, looking over his shoulder. "You need help getting your clothes back on?"  
  
"If I get any more 'help' from you, we'll be in here for another half hour!" The young man made an exasperated gesture, forcing a little smirk off his face.  
  
"It's your choice." He faced Dib again, reaching up to hold the human's face as he closed in for a long kiss.  
  
After they had finally parted and Zim had turned to go, his hand on the curtain, Dib softly asked/ suggested, "Another time, then?"  
  
"More?" The Irken asked slyly, a playful grin curving his lips.  
  
Dib found himself grinning and nodding slightly in response, his eyes a bit starry. Zim's smile failed to fade as he left the small room and went to this own to change back into his own clothes.  
  
* * *  
  
The boys headed down to the food court after dropping off their clothes and looked around for Gaz. They found the spooky girl in front of the pizza place, in the process of both tearing apart a piece of pizza and, surprisingly, talking to Lindsey and Amanda, the two girls that had given Zim the yaoi address. They spotted the boys in unison and waved enthusiastically at the two, calling for them to come over.  
  
"Aren't those girls in our Language Arts class?" Dib asked as they trekked over to the table.  
  
"Mmhmmm, remember the two girls I told you about that gave me that Internet address?"  
  
"Oh." A slight blush spread over the human's cheeks as they walked up, taking the two empty seats at the table.  
  
"Hi Dib, Zim," Amanda said, grinning widely as they sat down. "We were just talking about you guys!"  
  
The couple simultaneously raised they eyebrows. "Eh?" Zim gave the three girls a meaningful stare.  
  
"About the prom. "Gaz growled, tearing off another chunk off pizza.  
  
"Yeah, Gaz said you guys just got together for it, so we figured you didn't have any plans for then night afterwards, so we wanted to see if you two wanted to go there with us and then hand out at my condo afterwards. "Lindsey explained (all in one rather enthusiastic breath.).  
  
"Really? Well, that sounds cool. What do you think, Zim?" Dib turned to his companion, who cast suspicious glances at the female members of the table.  
  
"If you want to, Dib-human.Then that's fine."  
  
"Great! We'll pick you two up at Zim's house at 6 o'clock, prom night, okay?" Amanda asked, standing up to go.  
  
"Alright, see you then." The paranormalist nodded in agreement, watching the two saunter off before he directed his attention to his silent sister. "How do you know them, Gaz?"  
  
"We've crossed paths. "She said curtly, intently chewing on her pizza and thoroughly ignoring Gir, who was munching loudly on the pizza box under the table. Dib raised an eyebrow and she stared at him for a long moment before finally adding. "We met at a gamers' convention. Happy now?"  
  
"Just wondering." He said with a little smile.  
  
"Good." She shoved the last bit of crust in her mouth, standing up. "Let's go."  
  
She led them back o the department store and surprisingly enough, paid for the rental fee of the suits. Her brother attempted tot hank her but she was quick to shake it off and send him a death glare, cutting off his appreciation. Dib shrugged good-naturedly, reaching out to take Zim's hand.  
  
"I'm really looking forward to next week." He said softly as they walked out to the car.  
  
The ex-invader was quiet for a long moment, then his face broke out into a grin, eyes sparkling as he leaned in close. "Then I'll make sure it's a night you'll never forget."  
  
Dib's heart did a dance in his chest and he gave the other an amorous smile and the simple question, "Promise?"  
  
'Promise."  
  
* * *  
  
Man, I'm such a slacker. And am running out of creative ideas for my opening and closing notes to my chapters. Bleh.. On a crappier note, ff.net is still evil and I'm thinking of submitting it to a fiery pit of toilets and ferrets. *evil grin* Yeah, that's it. 


	12. Dancing to Chick Flick Soundtracks

Love is Weird, But It Makes You Feel All Warm and Tingly Inside!!  
  
Chapter Twelve- Dancing to Chick Flick Soundtracks  
  
Oh maaaaan, I can't believe I haven't updated since October! I just. got sidetracked. ^^() Started up on my Beetlejuice story, then started watching X-Men Evolution for the first time, got hooked on it, and HAD to write a story fer that, which I just finished. Yayness and stuff. Alright, that's enough out of me (for now, but be warned I SHALL RETURN!!! *deep maniacal laugh, then stops, confused* Wait..) :P  
  
*~*~*~*~  
  
Prom night. Zim self-consciously studied himself in the mirror, smoothing away an imaginary wrinkle. He wore a black pair of pants with a white, long- sleeved shirt that was partially covered by a hunter green vest. He turned around, studying his back for a long moment before twisting straight again, placing his hands on his hips and tossing his reflection a cocky grin. "Damn, I look gooooood." A check on the clock showed it was 6:56 PM, making the Irken's equivalent to a stomach twist in nervousness. 'He should be here any moment.'  
  
Dib nervously checked his watch for the umpteenth time as he walked up to Zim's house. He chewed on his lip, a silent mantra running through his head as he attempted to take steady steps. 'I am not nervous, I am not nervous, I am not.'  
  
"HI!!!!!!!"  
  
"Ahhh!!" Dib fell backwards, landing on Zim's sidewalk, in the perfect position to allow the person that had gotten him there in the first place to jump on him: Gir.  
  
"Did you bring my mongoose?!" The insane robot screamed, bouncing on Dib's chest.  
  
"No, I."  
  
"WHYYYYY?" Zim's malfunctioning servant wailed painfully, cutting off Dib's words, and began beating his big head against Dib's ribcage.  
  
"Gir! Get off of him!" Zim, who'd come outside upon hearing all the commotion, grabbed his SIR unit by the antennae, snatching him off of Dib and tossing him onto the lawn.  
  
"You alright?" The Irken grabbed a hold of Dib's slender hand, pulling the human to his feet.  
  
"Yeah, I think so." Dib gingerly felt his ribs, then forgot about them as he took in the person that was still holding his hand. "You look.great." He said softly, almost reverently for some odd reason, and reached up to touch Zim's face.  
  
The ex-Invader leaned into the hand, a gentle smile on his face and faintly realizing how much softer the hand was than his own. "You too."  
  
A horn honked suddenly, startling the two out of their tender reverie. They turned to see an old grey Celica parked at the curb, a grinning Lindsey and Amanda seated inside. "You sweethearts ready to go?" Amanda called out from her position in the passenger seat.  
  
"Uh, yeah." Dib looked over at Zim, who nodded to confirm it.  
  
Gir waved enthusiastically to them from atop a lawn gnome as they got into the car, calling out that he'd take good care of the toaster and requests that they bring him back nachos as they drove off.  
  
"My, my, you two look spiffy." Amanda said over her shoulder, grinning widely at the two seated in the back seat.  
  
Dib, who was dressed in an identical outfit to Zim's, except with a black vest, nodded, somewhat uncertain. "Uh, thanks." He watched as she straightened again, flipping through a CD book for a minute before pulling one out and sliding it into the player. A second later, fast-paced techno- notes escaped the speakers and filled the car, spilling out to the world they were passing at the same time, followed by a woman's sharp soprano singing in another language.  
  
Somewhat confused, the boys sat in silence, listening to the music for a long moment before Zim spoke up. "Is this Japanese?"  
  
Amanda shifted in her seat again, wide grin plastered on her face. "Yep, you hit it on the nose."  
  
"I bet we're the only people driving to prom listening to Megumi Hayashibara." Lindsey remarked, amused as she pulled into the parking lot.  
  
"That's for sure."  
  
They parked, climbed out of the tiny, economy-made car and headed inside. Zim took Dib's arm and they walked together a few feet behind the girls, who were laughing and talking too rapidly for him to keep up, but it did give the boys a chance to look over what the girls were wearing. Lindsey wore a Renaissance-style dress in black and purple, while Amanda sported a blue-silk Chinese dress. They ceremoniously held the doors open for the boys to walk through them, and then fell into place on either side of them inside.  
  
"Okay, so we'll meet you at the end of the night and then we'll all head up to the condo, alright?" Lindsey confirmed with Dib, who she was walking next to.  
  
"Yeah, that sounds good. Do you two have a date, or-"  
  
"Yep! And they're right there!" Amanda broke off Dib's question, hurrying up with her best friend to two young men that were standing off to the side with, surprisingly, Gaz.  
  
Dib and Zim followed them, watching as they threw their arms collectively around the boys and squealed affectionately.  
  
"You two alright?" Gaz asked the ex-enemies as they came up beside her.  
  
"Yeah, thanks, Gaz." Dib smiled at his sister, who was dressed up in a black dress with a pair of long black gloves and a set of black boots.  
  
She stepped closer, leaning towards her brother. "Don't worry about tonight. Just have a good time." Her brother looked surprised, then smiled again.  
  
"Thanks Gaz, for everythi."  
  
"Yeah, yeah... Save it." She said, cutting off the inevitable mushy moment and brushing past the two to head over to where some of her friends were standing.  
  
"So. What do you want to do?" Dib asked, unsure.  
  
Zim shrugged.  
  
"Let's go find a table; Dinner'll be served soon." The human suggested, gently taking his companion's hand and leading him to the table that Amanda and Lindsey had staked out. Gaz joined them after a few minutes and dinner was served shortly after.  
  
Zim picked thoughtfully at his salad, marveling at how colorful it was, with an elaborate mix of vegetables that weren't in normal salads, but his mind was much more focused on the person who was siting next to him, shoveling down his food. Dinner came and as dessert was being finished, the lights dimmed and some soft music began playing, dancers escaping from their confining tables to take to the wooden floor. Zim reached out under the table, his hand resting on Dib's leg and giving it an assertive squeeze.  
  
The boy looked up from where he was polishing off his dessert, brown eyes inquisitive, "Hm?"  
  
"Would you like to dance?" Zim asked, noticing Lindsey and Amanda get up with their dates and head towards the floor out of the corner of his eye.  
  
Dib made quick eye contact with his sister, who merely raised an eyebrow, and met Zim's gaze again, shyly. "Sure."  
  
They stood up and as they were walking, Dib asked, "Do you even know how to dance?"  
  
"Well, it's a lot different from the dancing I usually do, but it doesn't look all that hard. "Zim motioned with a nod of his head towards the people occupying the floor, neglecting to bring up how he'd obsessively searched the Internet for tips on the process, once he's found out how much of a big part of prom that it made up.  
  
"But, what if someone sees us, and." He bit his lip, nervous.  
  
"Your sister said not to worry about tonight, so STOP worrying." They stepped onto the floor and Zim gently placed his arms on Dib's shoulders. "Wrap your arms around my waist, okay?"  
  
The boy complied, silently adoring Zim's firm abdomen and marveling at the feel of the alien's muscles moving under his fingers as they began swaying in time to the song, "My Heart Will Go On."  
  
"See? This isn't so bad." Zim admonished.  
  
"Yeah, but what about when the song ends?" The human pointed out and, as if on cue, the song did just that, the music switching to a fast-paced techno song.  
  
The Irken smiled mischievously, hands moving lower to grip his dancing partner's hips, bravely leading them to follow the beat. "We'll improvise."  
  
Dib laughed.  
  
On the sidelines, a small group of dates stood together, watching the two.  
  
"Holy shit, can you believe that?" One of the guys asked incredulously, his eyes wide.  
  
"Oh stop sounding so negative, Danny. It's none of your business." His girlfriend snapped.  
  
"Doesn't matter, still doesn't make it right." Another guy spoke up.  
  
"Shhh, I think they're cute. I always thought those two had potential." The girl at his side remarked, a little smile on her face.  
  
"But." Danny started to protest, but was cut off when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see Gaz, the school's most well known Queen of Darkness and Spooky-type things standing behind him.  
  
One slender hand reached up to fist in his shirt, bringing him down to her eye level. "You leave my brother AND his date alone, or I will make sure to wreak darkness and mayhem on your pathetic, sugar-coated life of sunshine." She growled, "Understand, pretty boy?"  
  
"Okay, okay, I get it!" He yelped, anxious to escape the Goth's iron grip.  
  
"Good." She let him go, eyeing the rest of the group. "And that applied to everyone; make sure to pass it on." She walked off, leaving a sense of gloom and traces of fog in her wake.  
  
Danny's date laughed, smirking at his horror-filled face. "She sure does get her point across, doesn't she?"  
  
* * * * *  
  
Dib had never realized dancing could be so fun. He'd barely got any experience in it, but decided he'd have to arrange time for more of it sometime soon. The fast-paced song ended, and "I've Had the Time of My Life" started up. Automatically, the human slowed down, wrapping his arms around Zim's torso and leaning against his sturdy chest, used to changing dancing styles by now. "Have you noticed how almost every slow song that's come on has been from a chick flick?" He asked, moving in time with the music.  
  
"Is that a bad thing?" Zim wondered.  
  
"Not really. Guess it just means they're perfect romantic songs." Zim took one of Dib's hands, lifting it up and neatly leading Dib in a circle, to come back to him, where he wrapped his arms around the human securely.  
  
Dib took the opportunity to momentarily close his eyes, nestling his head against Zim's chest, until the song ended. The lights came back on, surprising the two. "Is it over already?" His brow furrowed as he tried to figure out how long they'd been dancing, exactly.  
  
"You guys were up here for about three hours!" A female voice said behind them, startling the two. Standing right next to them were Lindsey and Amanda, who grinned at them.  
  
"Hey, listen.How would you guys like to have the condo all to yourselves tonight? A bunch of our friends want to hook up and go someplace." Lindsey asked.  
  
"Plus, it'll be a great opportunity for you two to spend time together." Amanda piped up.  
  
"Really? You don't mind?" Dib asked, blinking in surprise.  
  
Lindsey tossed him the keys to her car. "Nope, just leave the place standing. Here're the car keys, so you guys have a way to get there, with the condo key on it too. We're riding with our dates." She handed a piece of folded up paper to Zim. "Here's the directions."  
  
"So it's settled then. Have fun!" Amanda led her best friend off, linking arms as they pranced off to a corner, where they found Gaz.  
  
"So?" She inquired simply.  
  
"All set." Amanda grinned.  
  
"I wonder if they'll ever figure out we had this planned from the beginning." Lindsey pondered curiously, watching the boys leave together.  
  
* * * *  
  
"Why're you driving?" Dib half-whined as they pulled out of the parking lot.  
  
"Because I want to." The Irken smirked at the other's tone. "Why?"  
  
"She gave the keys to me."  
  
"She didn't tell you to drive. Anyway, I've been driving longer."  
  
"Driving SPACESHIPS, not cars." Dib snapped. "Do you even have a license?"  
  
"Of course." Zim answered, neglecting to add the fact that it'd taken him eight times of re-taking the test to get it.  
  
The human narrowed his eyes. "How many times did you have to take the test to get it?" He asked, as if reading the alien's mind.  
  
They stopped at a stop light, and Zim grabbed for the directions, snatching them out of Dib's hands. "Gimme that."  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"You aren't telling me where to go." Zim pointed out childishly (and neatly changing the subject so he wouldn't have to answer).  
  
Dib snatched it back, clicking on the light on his side of the car. Glaring at Zim for a split second, he looked up at the street sign of the street they had stopped on. "Next light, turn left." He said.  
  
Zim smiled to himself as the light turned green, and he put the blinker on to do so.  
  
They got caught at the light there too and Dib noticed Zim's little grin. "What's so funny?" He said grumpily.  
  
The Irken leaned across the seat, gently kissing him. "You are." He said simply as he sat back in his seat.  
  
"Oh." Dib was still in shock for a moment, then smiled, realizing just how stupid they'd just sounded fighting. "We just sounded like we used to, didn't we?" He commented, a laugh to his words.  
  
"You noticed it too, then?" The light changed and they moved on. "Where next?" The Irken reached out to take Dib's hand, steering with his left easily. "We don't turn until Ocean Breeze Lane, which isn't for another thirty minutes or so." He read off the paper, squeezing the hand gently. "Then we're right there, the condos are named Ocean Breeze Suites."  
  
"Figures." Zim grinned. "Should be too hard to find." He relaxed in his seat. The streets were pretty empty, as it wasn't late enough for anyone to be coming home from the clubs and bars yet.  
  
They sat in companionable silence for a long time, a hand squeeze from one to the other every once in a while to make sure that the other knew that they were thinking of them. Definitely thinking of them  
  
Zim's mind was a jumble as he turned over things in his mind, trying to decide on something very important.  
  
'I really want to ask him, but is he alright with it? What if he isn't? And anyway, how would I ask him?'  
  
His brow furrowed in concentration as he attempted to come up with the right words to put to Dib when he asked him. 'We've been together for a long time now, and I just wanted to know that you mean a lot to me. No, not sincere enough. You've been a light to my darkness, My light at the end of the tunnel. Yeah, that sounds good.'  
  
Dib, on the other side of the car, was having his own inner conversation. 'So we're going to be all alone in the condo together all night. Wait a minute. We're going to be ALL ALONE IN THE CONDO TONIGHT!!!" His eyes widened as the realization sunk in, and he forced himself not to hyperventilate. 'Oh shit, what're we gonna do? Maybe we'll just watch movies again. But I kinda, no I REALLY wanna, well. it'll be the perfect time to. But what if Zim isn't into that! What if he doesn't want to?! Oh shit!!'  
  
'We've gone a long way, Dib, but I want you to know that you are the one for me, and that doing this is for me to show my love to you, because I really do love you.'  
  
'Should I ask him? Wait. how the HELL do you ask something like THAT anyway?!!!'  
  
'You're almost like a rose. Wait, no he isn't.'  
  
The half hour had passed by now and they'd turned onto Ocean Breeze, both keeping an eye out for the condo. Zim began to grow fidgety, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel rapidly, while Dib pulled on his seat belt, pulling it back and forth with his free hand.  
  
"Listen, Dib-human.." Zim finally forced out after an agonizing moment of forcing out the courage to do so in his mind.  
  
"Yes?!" Dib near-squeaked, his voice was unnaturally high. He cleared his throat, attempting to regain his composure. "Yes?" He repeated, trying not to sound like a cheerleader again.  
  
"I, well, that is." Thirty minutes of planning this out in his head and it was certainly running smoothly. The Irken could feel his cheeks beginning to burn up.  
  
Dib turned to his boyfriend, noticing his fidgety nature for the first time. He blinked in confusion. 'What's he so nervous about?' "Yeah?"  
  
Zim saw the condos and pulled into the parking lot, finding a spot before he continued. He closed his eyes momentarily, summing up the courage to say what he wanted and remembering all of the words he'd cooked up in the last half hour. "I wanted to know if. I. Will you. Will you go to bed with me?" He winced, face contorting. 'ARGH! What the hell was that? Thirty minutes and THAT'S what I come up with?!!'  
  
The human's eyes widened in surprise, and he laughed a little, in relief more than anything else and he gripped Zim's hand tightly, leaning across the seats and kissing the Irken, looking into his eyes, nose-to-nose as he answered. "Yes." * * *  
  
And the next chapter's going to be the last!!! I'm really sorry about not having worked on this in FOREVER, and you all have permission to hit me multiple times with heavy objects for it. Just don't hit the hands, I need 'em. ( But yeees, I DID say the last chapter, so that means LEMON LEMON LEMON!!! Make sure to leave me lotsa nice reviews cause. I'm a lil' review whore. :P 


	13. The One You've Been Waiting For

Love is Weird, But It Makes You Feel All Warm and Tingly Inside!!  
  
By: Kichara  
  
Chapter 13: The One You've All Been Waiting For.  
  
~Does this really need notes? Would you even read them? ^^ Oh yeah, little warning: LEMON LEMON LEMON LEMON LEMON LEMON LEMON LEMON LEMON LEMON DON'T LIKE? DON'T READ!!!! (even though it is a tremendously good lemon, if I do say so myself. ^,~)~  
  
  
  
*~*~*~*~ Dib giggled, feeling immensely giddy, and clung tighter to Zim, who had carried him upstairs to the condo and was now fumbling for his pocket, trying to get out the keys. With a mischievous grin, the boy reached into the Irken's pocket, pulling out the desired item, and unlocked the door for him. Zim grinned at him, walking inside and kicking the door shut. He fumbled for the light switch, finding it and flipping it up. However, the lights didn't fully go on, dimmed instead, and Kenny G started playing softly for some reason. The boys stopped, blinking in astonishment. "Wait a minute." Dib's forehead creased in a thoughtful frown.  
  
"For some reason, I'm getting the feeling that this isn't how the condo usually is." Zim said with an amused grin, setting Dib down on his feet and finding the human looking at him expectedly, his lips slightly parted.  
  
They moved closer, Zim first kissing Dib on the nose before brushing against the boy's soft lips. Despite how many times they'd undergone this procedure, Dib still managed to be surprised by the overwhelming feeling and he gasped, leaving his mouth open for the Irken to explore. The alien's tongue ran along Dib's lower lip, then moved deeper, sweeping across his tongue, and Dib could feel his knees begin to buckle. Zim noticed and quickly grabbed him, arms locking around the slender waist, and carefully led the anxious human into the bedroom, helping him onto the bed.  
  
"Are you alright?" He asked, separating their fierce liplock.  
  
Dib took in a deep breath. "Yeah, I'm just nervous. I've.never done anything like this before."  
  
"You're sure you want to?" The concerned tone in the ex-Invader's voice made a smile form on his old enemy's lips.  
  
"Yes, I'm positive. One thing, though." He reached out, fingertips brushing against Zim's smooth cheek. "Can you take out your contacts? I want to see your real eyes."  
  
Blushing a bit from the tender touch and heart-spoken request, Zim moved to do so, carefully placing the items on the nightstand. He reached out to slip Dib's wristwatch from his arm and glasses from his face, placing the things next to them.  
  
The paranormalist gazed into the endless ruby depths and found himself blushing the same color. "God, you're gorgeous."  
  
"I think the same could be said about you." Zim countered, reaching out for him again. Dib gladly melted into the embrace, titling his head up to let Zim take control of his mouth again. The Irken did just that, slipping his tongue into the moist cavern and enjoying the feeling of Dib's tongue moving with his own, surprised when the human adventurously pulled it in further, sucking on it boldly.  
  
He moaned in surprise and pleasure, raising his hands to Dib's face, the fingers trailing along his flushed cheeks and through his inky-black hair, then running down the length of his slender neck. The gentle touches spawned a soft tingling feeling that ran up and down the human's spine, and he sighed against the intimate kiss, reaching up to pull Zim's antennae from the little bobby-pin-like items that held them down, running his fingers along the velvety softness.  
  
Another moan followed suit, and Zim broke off the kiss, his eyes rolling up to the ceiling as he reveled in the intimate feeling of Dib's fingers along his antennae. Somewhere in his pleasure-fogged mind, he decided to take the initiative and go on with the next step, sitting up straight again to unbutton Dib's vest. The Irken's fingers teasingly ran over the boy's torso and Dib gasped aloud as one of them brushed against a nipple, his back arching in response. He fell back onto the bed, head dropping on the pillows and stared up at Zim, who was illuminated by the light of the full moon that was streaming in through the patio doors. The Irken smiled, then bent down to run his tongue along the boy's jugular, loving the way he could feel the body underneath his tense and shiver in response. His tongue continued it's ministrations downward, as Zim fiddled with the buttons of Dib's shirt, slowly taking each button at a time. As a new one was released, the Irken moved lower, silently worshipping the pale skin revealed, planting kisses along the center of Dib's torso and running his tongue down it.  
  
He finally came to the last button and pushed the shirt back, gently motioning for Dib to sit up. The boy did so, loving the tender way that Zim pulled his arms out of the sleeves, gently placing tiny kisses from his hand up to his shoulder when he pulled out the second arm. "God, Zim." The words caused the Irken to look up into the human's eyes, his own wide with curiosity and thought.  
  
"Dib?"  
  
"I love you." The words were whispered, and came out so naturally it was surprising even to the speaker. The alien visibly flinched, his body shaking a little from hearing the tender words spoken in a voice so soft it was almost impossible to hear.  
  
"I love you, too." The answer was simple, but the four words spoke more than Zim could say in an hour of speech. He watched as Dib sat up, scooted around behind him, and sat down on his knees.  
  
With no further warning, he reached from behind, his hands fumbling to find the buttons of Zim's vest, which he took off, resting his head against the Irken's back as he did so. He tossed the vest to the floor, joining his own, then reached forward again, unbuttoning Zim's shirt. He did it all at once, and Zim slipped his toned arms out of the shirt, and Dib let it fall to the floor with the rest. His eyes roamed appreciatively over his old enemy's back, and he ran his nails across the skin, mesmerized by the sight of muscles twitching and moving in response to his light touch. He ran his hands up and down the Irken's back, gently digging upward with his palms, then crawling back with his fingertips.  
  
Zim sighed, closing his eyes in contentment, letting Dib gently lead him to lie back down on the bed, where he began giving the front of Zim's torso the same treatment.  
  
Zim kept his eyes closed, mostly began he was relishing in the relaxing comfort of Dib's hand on him, but also because he was hoping that he could get a kiss out of the human, but with his eyes closed, so it would seem like he wasn't expecting it. 'Oh shit, what if he thinks I fell asleep? Should I open my eyes? But I want this whole 'surprise kissy thing' to happen. Maybe I SHOULD open my eyes. No, no, gotta keep this up.'  
  
Dib on the other hand, was having quite different thoughts. 'Lookit him, he's so. ugh, I dunno, but he really is. And he's all relaxed, I want to kiss him, but how should I do it? Soft, or with a little bit of tongue? Hmmm..' He bent down, finally making a decision, and gently pressed his lips to the other boy's, coaxing them open and slipping his tongue inside the other's mouth.  
  
They finally broke off the kiss and Zim managed to whisper, his breath somewhat labored, "Gods. Dib, do you have any idea what you do to me?"  
  
Dib smiled warmly, his stomach doing delightful twists and he continued running his short fingernails over the Irken's defined muscles, running up to his arms, and back, making circles across his chest. "What?"  
  
Somewhere in Zim's mind he registered the question, and answered it without even thinking. "I think about you all the time, I want you so bad."  
  
"Zim, you've got me." The statement made the Irken turn to look into the other boy's eyes, and he suddenly grinned.  
  
"So I do." He sat up suddenly and almost roughly pushed the other onto the bed, sitting on his stomach lightly. The boy smiled shyly, and lay still, unsure what he should do. Zim took the initiative once again and leaned down to kiss Dib, his hand reaching down and unzipping his trousers, his hand lightly brushing against the human's erection. He gasped and rose up, desperate for more contact. Zim smiled teasingly, kissing him again and then slid off his body, pulling off the boy's pants and tossing them into the pile that was steadily growing on the floor by the bed.  
  
He stopped what he was doing though, blinking in shock and then tilting his head to the side, grinning.  
  
"What?" Dib's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.  
  
Zim began to laugh softly, "Is that. Alf on your boxers?" He burst into a fit of giggles and Dib blushed brilliantly.  
  
"Oh shut up, I'm obsessed with aliens, alright? Not that you shouldn't know of anything."  
  
"No, I know, but your ways of expressing your obsession are a bit odd." He replied, still grinning, then teasingly reached under the waistband of Dib's Alf-littered boxers, thumbs trailing along the skin underneath.  
  
"Zim." Dib whined, forgetting about his embarrassment and squirming from the delightful torture. "Please.I want more."  
  
Still feeling the urge to tease and enjoying the way that Dib wriggled and squirmed in reaction to his touch, Zim continued to just barely dip his fingers under the waistband, trailing back and forth, then running his hands down the Dib's hips on the outside of the boxers. The human was adorably predictable and extremely sensitive to the touch, mewling with need and fighting (and losing) the urge to squirm uncontrollably on the bed.  
  
Finally decided he'd tortured Dib enough, (and anxious to see the boy's face when he did what he was planning on doing to him next), Zim finally hooked his thumbs under the band, slowly pulling them off. The human helped, lifting his slim hips off the bed. Zim pulled off Dib's socks as well and tossed the items somewhere else in the room, not giving a shit as to whether or not they made the pile. He took a second to look down at the only person he'd ever truly loved, sprawled out wantonly on the bed below him, gasping softly with need, half-lidded eyes gazing up at his in love. The alien reached down to do something about Dib's erection, but was surprised when the human's hand reached out to bat his away. Confused eyes met the other's brown one's, full of warmth and a bit of shyness.  
  
"I want you to be naked too." The words were so raw and they made Dib blush as they left his mouth, but as the same time they felt good, and he liked the feeling. Zim seemed to as well, when the surprised look on his face was replaced with a softer, loving one.  
  
"Fine then." He stood up on his knees, hands reaching to undo the button on his pants, when the hand was snagged by Dib's again.  
  
"I want to do it." Again, the raw words seemed to tingle in his mouth, and Dib sat up, boldly wrapping an arm around Zim and switching their positions, Zim now below him on the bed, while he sat down on Zim's thighs, legs on either side of the Irken.  
  
"Fine by me." The Irken was surprised and delighted in this bolder side of Dib. He never really showed anything like this before. Maybe it was because they were in bed, where neither had anything to hide.  
  
The human fumbled for moment with the zipper before getting it and he unbuttoned the pants, pulling them off and pushing them off the bed. He tugged off the plain black boxers quickly, almost anxiously, and deliberately let a hand run across the alien's erection as he did so. Looking past the slight differences in their anatomy, Dib lay on top of the Irken, kissing him feverishly, grinding against Zim as he did so. The other's eyes widened in surprise for a moment, then he smiled in his mind, unable to do so in real life, as his mouth was too busy.  
  
His hand crept up, running circles around Dib's nipple, trailing to the other one and then settling on gently massaging it. The human moaned and ground more firmly against the Irken in response. Excited by the moaning, Zim pushed Dib off him, rolling him over and pinning him underneath his body, elbows on either side of the human's flushed face, up on his knees with one of them securely between Dib's legs. Starry eyed, the boy beneath him was still, chest rising and falling as he took in deep breaths.  
  
"Love you." Zim kissed Dib's nose.  
  
"Love you, love you, love you." The human whispered happily, accenting each 'love you' with a kiss, one on either of Zim's flushed cheeks, and the last gently brushing against his lips.  
  
"So now, uh." Zim found himself blushing as he tried to figure out how to phrase what he wanted to say, somehow embarrassed despite the fact that he was naked in bed with another naked person and they were, well, ready to go to the next step. "Are you." He faltered again, trying to figure out how to say this.  
  
Dib blushed shyly, but managed a rather sly grin as he sat up, wriggled off the bed and searched through the mound of clothes on the floor for his pants.  
  
"What're you doing?" Zim propped himself up on one arm, watching the human pick up his trousers and search through the pockets with interest.  
  
"Getting this." Dib said with finality, blushing a bit more as he held up a small tube of lubricant.  
  
Zim was still for a long moment, eyes wide before he laughed. "You've had that with you?"  
  
The human found the floor interesting as he answered, "Um, yeah."  
  
"Actually, I've got some too. Gir brought it home for me last week. It's in my pants." He pointed to the article of clothing at Dib's feet to emphasize his point and Dib's face twitched, a grin pulling his features. Then he got back on the bed, crawling over to lay on his side next to Zim.  
  
"I had to go buy some at one of those sex shops downtown. It was. a little more than embarrassing, I can tell you that."  
  
"Well, next time I'll go with you, so you won't have to be embarrassed alone, alright?" Zim winked at the human, whose grin softened to a happy smile as his slender fingers trailed down the other's smooth cheek.  
  
"Sounds like a plan." Zim pulled him closer, drawing him into another heated kiss. Dib's tongue swept across the Irken's, which was a lot more nimble than his, dancing around his mouth. Through the kiss, Dib's hand crept over, finding Zim's hand and dropping the lube onto the palm, his fingers closing over the other's so he held it.  
  
Enigma suddenly filled the room, taking place of the soothing music that had been playing before and encouraged by it, the green-skinned youth rolled them over so that he hovered over the human again. He gently gripped one of Dib's thighs, tugging on it. Dib got the hint and spread his legs, knees rising up on either side of the Irken. Spreading lubricant over his fingers, he gently pressed one of the digits against Dib, and then slowly, carefully, pushed his finger inside the human. Dib gasped heavily, not moving and Zim didn't either, allowing him to get used to his presence before finally moving his finger, gently stretching the human (and secretly grateful for all those lemons he'd read that gave him a good idea as to how go about with the sex thing without hurting your partner). He ran a line of kisses, starting at Dib's left knee and steadily moved upward, trailing along the inside of his leg, thigh, a solitary kiss on the boy's erection, and then up his stomach, chest, neck and finally captured his mouth, moving slowly and tenderly, all the while stretching and preparing Dib.  
  
A second finger entered the boy, moving gently with the first and Dib gasped again, arching his back and eyes staring up at the ceiling almost blankly, his mouth slack as Zim hit something inside of him that sent delightful shocks run through his body. "Dib, Dib are you alright?" The Irken stopped, panicking.  
  
"No, God, no. Just, oh God, do that again!"  
  
Relieved that Dib was alright, and encouraged by the breathy tone, Zim did just that, reaching out and touching the boy's prostate, watching in fascination as Dib moaned his name throatily, arching his back as his hands fisted in the pillow underneath his head. Taking all this as a signal that Dib was ready, he retracted the fingers, lifting up the boy's legs to hang over his defined shoulders, positioning himself at his lover's entrance.  
  
"You ready?" Zim whispered, his voice labored from heavy breaths. Just watching Dib was enough to get him gasping, he realized as the boy in question nodded, voice steady despite being weighed down with passion.  
  
"Yes."  
  
Gently, Zim moved forward, pushing in only a little while he waited for Dib to once again get used to Zim's presence inside his body. "It's okay, you're not going to break me." He whispered, touched beyond words.  
  
"I just don't want to hurt you." Zim whispered back, moving again and sinking in further.  
  
"You're.fine.really. I'm fine." Dib managed between gasps and Zim pushed all the way to the hilt, buried inside the boy's body.  
  
His breaths were ragged as he maintained that position, head tilting back as if he couldn't support it anymore, eyes rolling up to the ceiling as he took in the immense feeling and tightness surrounding him. They stayed like that for a minute, five minutes, an hour, neither could tell and then Dib began moving, silently signaling that he was ready. Zim straightened himself, then pulled out a bit, pushing back in a bit more fiercely. He pulled out all the way, then repeated the action. Dib moaned and gasped as the motion was repeated over and over, moving to meet the steady thrusts instinctively.  
  
Then Zim hit that spot inside Dib that made him gasp even more, clutching at the pillow tighter and the Irken strove to hit that spot, over and over again while Dib forgot about moving with him and only swam in the timeless and incredible sensation, slowly and steadily building. Then Zim's hand reached down, grabbing his erection and pumping him in time with his thrusts and Dib let out a single wail of rapture, throwing his head back as the world went white and he was unable to hear anything but the fierce pounding of blood in his ears. He tightened around Zim who stopped, shaking from the sensation of his own climax as he gasped out his lover's name. "Dib."  
  
They were still for a long moment, unable to speak or think in the after- shocks of what had just happened. Zim pulled out of the human gently, then bent over, licking his stomach clean of the white substance that had been spilt there. Once done, he nearly collapsed next to Dib, wrapping arms around him and pulling him close. "That was incredible." He whispered reverently into the boy's inky hair, one hand running through it.  
  
"YOU were incredible." Dib added hugging Zim close and nestled his head against the alien's firm chest.  
  
"Love you." Zim closed his eyes.  
  
"Love you." The human did the same, nuzzling his nose against the warm body that was holding him, content and happier than he'd ever felt before.  
  
*~*~*~*~  
  
Zim woke slowly to a comforting blanket of security, courtesy of the person still in his arms. He smiled, tenderly pressing his lips to the top of Dib's head. The sun hadn't some up yet, but it was about to. Zim could figure that out by looking out the glass doors that led to the balcony, which he could see through to see that the sky was beginning to turn a sort of dark aquamarine. A sudden urge compelled him to gently shake Dib. "Dib, wake up."  
  
"Mmm?" Dib mumbled incoherently, but remained asleep, so Zim shook him more, voice raising a few notches.  
  
"C'mon Dib." He was awarded with a sleepy grown and the human's honey- colored eyes opening and focusing on him.  
  
"Hey." He said softly, smiling and hugging the Irken.  
  
"Hey. You gonna wake up?"  
  
"Mmmm, probably not. Why?" Dib wondered, closing his eyes and snuggling into Zim's warmth.  
  
"The sun's about to come up; Will you come see it with me?"  
  
Dib's eyes opened and he sat up a bit, propping up on one elbow and twisting around to see the brightening sky. "Sure." He got no warning when Zim suddenly sat up at his words, and was standing up with him scooped up in his arms before he knew what was happening, and walking towards the balcony. "Ziiiiim, I'm naked!" He whined as the Irken tried to unlock the glass doors, unable to do it easily because he was holding Dib.  
  
"So? I like you naked." Zim smiled, stopping in his efforts to get the door open to kiss the human.  
  
Dib's eyes widened a little, then he smiled, reaching out and opening the door, not giving a damn fi anyone saw them or not. Zim set him down on balcony, and stood up straight, eyes on the horizon. Dib leaned against him, taking his hand and holding it. They stood still watching as the bright crimson ball suddenly peeked out from the horizon, bringing with it a spectacular palate of colors.  
  
Zim sighed in contentment, squeezing Dib's hand. "You remember that one day?"  
  
"What one day?" Dib rested his head back, eyes still fixed on the rising sun.  
  
"When we went to get ice cream, and we were finishing up our project. I told you that one of the things that I missed the most about Irk were the sunrises." He leaned closer, mouth next to Dib's ear. "Irk best sunrise doesn't hold a candle to this one. Or any other one with you."  
  
The human spun around, mouth dropping in a state of awe and he was still for all of two second before hugging Zim fiercely. The hug was returned gladly and Dib pulled back a bit, surprised when the other reached up and brushed away a tear that had started forming. He smiled, kissing the retreating fingers, then leaned close again, lips touching Zim's in a delicate kiss.  
  
The phone rang suddenly and they pulled away from each other, startled. Zim cursed to himself, stalking into the bedroom and grabbing the phone, ready to give the person on the other line a piece of his mind. Or several pieces, who knows?  
  
As he was momentarily contemplating this and considering the best words he should use, his thoughts were interrupted by a voice coming from the receiver. "Did you guys have fuuuuuun?"  
  
He blinked, shell-shocked for several seconds before he managed coherent words. "Amanda?"  
  
"Yup!" A low male voice spoke up behind her suddenly, "Hey, izzat the guys that you two set up?", followed by an urgent, "Shhhhhh!!! They can hear you stupid! Um, hello?"  
  
"Waiiiiit a minute.. You guys set us up, didn't you?"  
  
"Um, maybe?"  
  
"I knew it!" He noticed out of the corner of his eye as Dib walked back inside, curious as to what was going on. "I knew you two did! What with HOW conveniently we got put in the condo for the night, and then the music and the dimmed lights, you nosy little."  
  
"So did you guys have sex?" She chirped, unbothered by his tone and he sat, shocked to still-ness for the second time that morning. And it wasn't even seven yet.  
  
"NO! I mean, that's none of your business, you."  
  
"You DID, didn't you?" She squealed happily, bursting into a fit of giggles. "So how was it?"  
  
"I am NOT telling you anything." He said firmly.  
  
"Awww, c'mon, pleeeease?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Just a couple of details?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Pleaaaaaase?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Pleaaaaaase?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Pleaaaaaase?"  
  
"No."  
  
"What if I get you some sex toys?"  
  
"Uh, what?"  
  
She giggled madly. "Alright fine! I'll talk to you later!" With that, she cut off.  
  
Shaking his head a little in shock, the Irken settled the phone back into its cradle. "Who was that?!" Dib asked in bewilderment, sitting down next to him.  
  
"Amanda. They set us up, you know."  
  
"Yeah, I kinda figured." Dib agreed, blushing.  
  
"Oh well." Zim lifted his arms, stretching languidly and Dib watched in appreciation. "So what now?"  
  
"Well, I dunno about you, but I think it's too early to be getting up, so how about we lounge around in bed for a couple more hours?" Dib suggested, smiling.  
  
"Sounds like a plan." Zim said, throwing an arm around Dib and half- tackling him to lie back down, lying next to him.  
  
Dib kissed his lover, loving how the word sounded in his mind. Lover. And he hugged him, snuggling close again.  
  
Zim smiled, closing his eyes and drawing his lover closer, tickled by how wonderful it felt to call him that and held him closer. "Love you."  
  
"Love you." Dib closed his eyes and breathed in Zim's comforting scent.  
  
A warm breeze blew in from the open balcony, tussling the hair of the lovers lying close in bed, and the world was alright.  
  
~*~*~*~*~ End. ~*~*~*~*~  
  
Enigma is SO the ultimate sex muzik. ^,~ Man, so it's over! Or so you think. I've plans on writing more stories in this universe, as I've developed a relationship in this one. (Meaning now I can write lovely smut lemons :P) Speaking of lemons, I'm quite proud with how this one came out. For my very first one, I don't think it's too bad, whatcha think? ^^ As for other writing, I've got plans for another Zim story, in a universe separate from this one, that's going to be featuring more drama and less fluff, but I still think it'll be good. Here's some thanks/ shout-outs/ fish for some of my favorite people:  
  
Niko, whose fantastic stories were always a bundle of inspiration for me. She's one of the greatest writers I've ever been exposed to, and we're all lucky that she graced the Zim/Dib world with her words. Not to mention she's hosted my artwork on her ass kickety Zim and Dib page. Thank you!!!  
  
SwEeTiNsAnItY: Ahhh, the one who started it all and has been my insane confident. I LUUURVE YOOOOO!!!!! Aaaaaand I'm so happy that your story's back! And for all the bastards out there that haven't read it, go do it! READ READ REAAAAAD Cheryl's story: Disgusting Brown Shell-like Thingies That Serve as Houses for Carbohydrates! (Dude, I just wrote that out from memory! o.O) Peace and many herring to you in the future!  
  
Bonnie: Whose been bugging me fer my lemon FOREVER! Well, here ya are, wench! :P I wanted you to know how much I ADORED your own story, and how it always got me laughing. You always captured every character PERFECTLY and for that I award you the mighty Award of Keeping Characters in Character and. Stuff. ^^  
  
ArmandLeg: Who I feel I've been forgetting about as of late, especially since I never got around to writing that sequeal for her story. And after she always made sure to review my story! *hangs head in shame* Worry not, honey, I still luvs yoo!  
  
Nkoah: My fiancé, my love, my *in Chinese high-pitched voice* DARLING!! *glomps* Thanks for so much of your support, and the fact that you said my story helped get you into yaoi, well, it means a lot. Those were always the best reviews. ^^  
  
Jada: Who kicks butt! Awww, can't I leave it there? ^^ By the by, you'd best be getting that next chapter done soon! Or I'll um, cry or, rip your organs out or something. o.O Luv ya!  
  
And there's too many other people for me to thank, but I want cha'll ta know that your reviews and support are what keeps me writing! And I plan on doing more of that now, as I said in my last chapter, so feed me lots of reviews, cuz I'm a lil' review whore. (Aren't we all?) ^,~ Puppy ciao until next time!! 


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